A stitch in time: Brides ask surgeons to restore virginity

Doctors in The Netherlands are reconstructing the hymens of young women so they appear to be virgins when they marry.

The women, from immigrant communities, fear that if they cannot show a bloody sheet after their wedding night, their families will be ashamed and they may risk violence and banishment.

However, the practice has drawn criticism from British colleagues who say it is unethical. Some say it involves "collusion with deceit" and that it "confirms sexual inequality", perpetuating the view that promiscuity is acceptable only for men. Others say it should be regarded as cosmetic surgery.

Dr A Logmans, a consultant gynaecologist, and colleagues at the Daniel den Hoed clinic in Rotterdam, describe in the British Medical Journal how they repair the hymen by stitching together the scarred remnants. If necessary, they dissect a strip of tissue from the vagina to reconstruct the hymen. The procedure is carried out in outpatients and the patient has the right to have their medical notes destroyed.

A study of the first 20 women, aged 16 to 23, who had the operation in 1993, showed none had any regrets. Half claimed they lost their virginity as a result of sexual abuse. All opted to destroy their notes.

In a BMJ commentary, Dr Sara Paterson-Brown, consultant gynaecologist at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London, says the operation is justifiable "where women would otherwise suffer disgrace or worse." In Egypt the trade in hymen repairs has reduced "cleansing" murders by 80 per cent over 10 years, she says.