A hymenotomy is a
medical procedure
A medical procedure is a course of action intended to achieve a result in the delivery of healthcare.
A medical procedure with the intention of determining, measuring, or diagnosing a patient condition or parameter is also called a medical test. ...
involving the
surgical
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
removal or opening of the
hymen
The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia, and is similar in structure to the vagina.
In children, a common appearance of the ...
. It is often performed on patients with an
imperforate
For postage stamps, separation is the means by which individual stamps are made easily detachable from each other.
Methods of separation include:
# perforation: cutting rows and columns of small holes
# rouletting: small horizontal and vert ...
or
septate
In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate.
Examples
Human anatomy
* Interatr ...
hymen, or other situations where the hymen is unusually thick or rigid such as microperforate hymen. In the case of a person with a hymen without any opening, an opening may be created in order to facilitate
menstruation. In situations where the opening is extremely small or the band(s) of a septate hymen limit access to the vaginal opening, the individual may elect for hymenotomy to allow for comfortable
sexual penetration
Sexual penetration is the insertion of a body part or other object into a body orifice, such as the mouth, vagina or anus, as part of human sexual activity or animal sexual behavior.
The term is most commonly used in statute law in the contex ...
of their vagina, or to relieve pain or discomfort that occurs when inserting/removing tampons. Sexual intercourse would not normally be adversely affected by a hymenotomy.
See also
*
Hymenorrhaphy
Hymenorrhaphy or hymen reconstruction surgery is the temporary surgical restoration of the hymen. The term comes from the Greek words ''hymen'' meaning "membrane", and ''raphḗ'' meaning " suture". It is also known as ''hymenoplasty'', although ...
*
List of surgeries by type
Many surgical procedure names can be broken into parts to indicate the meaning. For example, in gastrectomy, "ectomy" is a suffix meaning the removal of a part of the body. "Gastro-" means stomach. Thus, ''gastrectomy'' refers to the surgical remo ...
References
External links
Imperforate hymen - eMedicine article
Gynecological surgery
Surgical removal procedures
Vagina
Hymen
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