Reconstructing Urogenital Openings After Mutilation: How A Gynecologist Can Help
In war-torn parts of Africa, women are subject to rape and acts of violence that often leave their genitals mutilated beyond their typical functions. In the Middle East, mutilation of the clitoris and clitoral hood is performed to prevent women from enjoying sex. Refugees from these countries come here, seeking shelter from the violence, and hoping that their genitals may be repaired and/or restored. If you are a woman and a refugee from these countries, find a good gynecologist first. The gynecologist can help you reconstruct your urogenital openings and restore some sensation to your genitals using the following methods.
Creating a New Urethra
If you have spent the better part of several months with a catheter threaded into what remains of your urethra, you may be able to to have urethral reconstruction surgery. A gynecologist will take x-rays and MRIs of your pelvis to check the extent of the damage to this opening and connecting organs. If there is enough viable organ tissue left, the gynecologist can remove a bit of the ureter (the tube that runs from a kidney to your bladder) and use it to create a new urethra and a new urethral opening.
The shortened ureter (from which a piece was taken) can be attached to the full-length ureter on the opposite side so that both kidneys can empty into the bladder. The new urethra has to be supported by a catheter tube until it has fully healed and will perform as expected. Then the tubing is removed and you will be able to urinate again as normally as you could before. The only catch is that you may have to make more frequent trips to a bathroom because the shorter ureter is emptying its kidney through the longer ureter.
Reconstructing Your Vagina
Reconstructing a vagina is trickier because a vagina can expand and contract to fit a partner's penis. A vagina also is made up of epithelial cells, cells that rely on surrounding tissue for blood, nourishment, and moisture. So, a vaginal reconstruction needs muscular tissue with epithelial cells that can produce a lubricant or to which your gynecologist can attach a mucous membrane.
If you have any of your own vaginal tissue left, it might be possible to excise the dead and scarred tissues. Then your gynecologist can try to stretch the healthy tissue until enough vaginal cells have created more of the healthy tissue needed to create a new vagina. Otherwise, you could look at donor tissue to help reconstruct your vagina. To learn more, contact a gynecological office like Desert Rose OBGYN PC.