Many women wonder whether they should get labiaplasty before pregnancy or after. If this procedure is something you’ve been contemplating and you’re also thinking about getting pregnant, keep reading.
Below, we’ll go over how to determine whether you should get labiaplasty before or after pregnancy based on your health, desired goals, and lifestyle.
Is Labiaplasty Before A Pregnancy Okay?
If you have cosmetic concerns about whether labiaplasty before pregnancy is safe and right for you, chances are you want to become pregnant at some point in the future, but you are also thinking about labiaplasty or labia surgery.
In terms of your health and pregnancy, it is perfectly safe to undergo labiaplasty surgery before getting pregnant. That is, labiaplasty procedures do not compromise a woman’s ability to conceive, be pregnant, or give birth. This is largely because the procedure does not involve any internal structures of the female reproductive system.
In most labiaplasty procedures, the inner labia (also called the labia minora or inner lips) are simply reduced in size. Of course, labiaplasty can also address the reduction of the labia majora (outer vaginal lips) with liposuction or add shape to the labia majora with a fat transfer.
In almost all cases, these procedures alone are not going to affect the reproductive system. Therefore, any future pregnancy should not be affected by the surgery.
With that said, do most plastic surgeons recommend labiaplasty before pregnancy? That depends.
Pros and Cons of Labiaplasty Surgery Before Pregnancy
Likely the biggest benefit of a labiaplasty procedure before pregnancy is that it can greatly reduce a woman’s self-consciousness about her labia. Although it is not always the case, one of the main reasons women seek surgery is because they are self conscious about their labia. They may feel that they are too long, too large, asymmetrical, or otherwise unattractive.
This can make it difficult to be intimate with a partner and even hard to go out in public in a bathing suit or other tight-fitting clothing. Labiaplasty, therefore, can be a great boost to a woman’s sexual health and confidence.
On the other side of things, one drawback to getting labiaplasty before pregnancy is that pregnancy may ultimately undo your labiaplasty results and lead to needing a revision procedure. This is because during pregnancy, the inner lips, especially, often grow in size. And just as a pregnant woman’s feet may grow in size and stay larger even after giving birth, the labia may stay larger as well.
If this happens, the patient would either have to live with the reversed effects of their labiaplasty or undergo the surgery again, which can be difficult and expensive.
For these latter reasons, it happens quite often that women wait to get labiaplasty until after they’re done having children instead of opting for pregnancy after labiaplasty.
Is Pregnancy Before Labiaplasty Okay?
Absolutely. In fact, numerous women undergo labiaplasty after pregnancy to correct the issues of the labia that pregnancy and childbirth caused. These natural experiences are beautiful, of course, but as anyone who’s been pregnant knows, they can do a number on you physically.
Everything changes with pregnancy and childbirth — from your feet and your legs to your tummy and breasts. Even the labia can change.
If you can hold off on getting your labiaplasty surgical procedure until after you are done having kids, you can know for sure that that the excess tissue and skin will be gone for good, and it will be unlikely to return. Most women who choose this path are happy they did so.
FAQ: The Labiaplasty Surgical Procedure
Is labiaplasty painful?
Is labiaplasty painful?When you compare labiaplasty and pregnancy, nearly all women will tell you that a vaginal delivery is far more painful than labiaplasty.
Of course, the labiaplasty procedure itself will not be painful because anesthesia will be used. After the procedure, you will have some pain and discomfort. But this should only last for a few days as the labial tissue heals, and it can be improved with pain medications prescribed by your surgeon.
What cosmetic procedure can fix protruding labia minora?
If you have enlarged labia minora, labiaplasty is the cosmetic surgery that can help. This procedure gets rid of excess skin on the labia minora and can help improve your confidence as well as pleasure during sexual intercourse after labiaplasty.
What kind of anesthesia is used during labiaplasty?
Labiaplasty is performed with general anesthesia, as opposed to local anesthesia. Patients are able to go home on the same day as surgery.
Will I lose feeling if I have a labiaplasty?
Many women are worried about losing feeling or sensation in their labia after undergoing a labiaplasty. In nearly all cases, women retain sensation in the labia after surgery.
However, it can occur that sensation changes or is partially lost in this area. This is one of the rare, but real labiaplasty risks of the procedure. More often than not, if sensation is lost, it is because the patient chose an unskilled or inexperienced plastic surgeon and possibly, the trim procedure was utilized.
The trim technique — as opposed to the wedge technique — tends to result in more loss of sensation (though it is still rare for this to occur).
Request a Consultation Appointment With Dr. Rice
To find out more about labiaplasty and other vaginal procedures, please contact our office today and schedule your consultation appointment with female board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Dahlia Rice.
Dr. Rice performs labiaplasty as well as other vaginal rejuvenation procedures to correct asymmetry, improve vaginal laxity, and more. Call today to set up your appointment. We look forward to hearing from you.
References
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/stats-show-labiaplasty-is-becoming-more-popular