Question: Is there any evidence in the literature relating to hymenal reconstruction after sexual assault (requested by a teenaged woman for cultural reasons)?
Answer: One study reports 20 women who underwent hymen reconstruction surgery in the Netherlands, and were satisfied with the result. (1) This includes 10 women who claimed that they had lost their virginity as a result of forced intercourse.
(Evidence level III)
Reference:
- Logmans A, Verhoeff A, Raap RB, Creighton F, van Lent M. Should doctors reconstruct the vaginal introitus of adolescent girls to mimic the virginal state? Who wants the procedure and why. BMJ. 1998 Feb 7;316(7129):459-60. Full text
Search date: April 2009
Classification of evidence levels
Ia Evidence obtained from meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Ib Evidence obtained from at least one randomised controlled trial.
IIa Evidence obtained from at least one well-designed controlled study without randomisation.
IIb Evidence obtained from at least one other type of well-designed quasi-experimental study.
III Evidence obtained from well-designed non-experimental descriptive studies, such as comparative studies, correlation studies and case studies.
IV Evidence obtained from expert committee reports or opinions and/or clinical experience of respected authorities.
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