Abstract

sirPremarital sex is socially and religiously unacceptable in some cultures, with grave consequences such as shame, rejection, divorce, or even death to “cleanse the shame”. Hymenorrhaphy or hymenoplasty has emerged as a procedure which attempts to restore the ability of the hymen to bleed at intercourse on the wedding night, thus protecting women from violent reprisals.A few articles have recently appeared in the English literature debating whether hymenoplasty is clinically indicated or ethically justified.1, 2 If we review the English literature, we find only one article addressing the success of this operation in a group of 20 patients.1 The authors claim that all 20 were satisfied with the outcome and none had regrets. Long term follow up is available on …