Mr. Wang (pseudonym) is from Tianjin and has been married for two years. He met his wife through a blind date and they quickly got married. However, strangely enough, for the past two years, Mr. Wang's wife has been making various excuses to avoid having sex with him. At first, Mr. Wang thought his wife was just shy and didn't take it seriously.
Two years have passed, but Mr. Wang's mother keeps pressuring him to have a child. Mr. Wang is under immense pressure and, being a young and impetuous man, he tried to force himself on his wife that night. However, his wife refused and ran away in the middle of the night.
Mr. Wang couldn't understand it, so he went to watch a local TV program. It was on the program that he learned that the reason his wife refused to have sex with him was because he was impotent.
What is a woman with imperforate hymen? What are the differences between a woman with imperforate hymen and a normal woman?
The concept of "stone woman" has been recognized in traditional Chinese medicine for a long time. The Ming Dynasty text *Guangsi Jiyao* by Wan Quan describes it in the section on marriage selection as: "The vulva is as small as a tendon, only allowing passage, making intercourse difficult; this is called a stone woman." In modern medicine, "stone woman" is classified into three types: the first is congenital imperforate hymen; the second is congenital absence of the vagina, or although a vagina is present, it is imperforate or narrowed, or the vagina has a transverse or longitudinal septum; the third is congenital absence of the uterus, or incomplete uterine development, or a double uterus, duplicated uterus, bicornuate uterus, unicornuate uterus, septate uterus, and congenital ectopic uterus, etc.
Among women with imperforate uterus, only a very small minority actually lack both vagina and uterus. The other types of cases are treatable, and women can still conceive after treatment. However, it is important to detect and treat these conditions as early as possible.
Periodic lower abdominal pain may be a sign of vaginal malformation.
Normally, women experience menstruation for 3-7 days each month from menarche to menopause. Many women feel helpless and troubled by menstruation, but women with imperforate ovaries don't even have the chance to complain because they rarely experience the process.
This is because some women, although lacking a vagina, have a normally developed uterus. When menstruation occurs, because there is no vagina, the menstrual blood cannot flow out and accumulates inside the uterus. When the uterine cavity is filled with blood, the uterus experiences spasmodic contractions due to the stimulation of the menstrual blood, resulting in periodic lower abdominal pain. If this problem occurs, it is important to seek medical attention immediately, as it may be a vaginal malformation, also known as "vaginal agenesis."
How should imperforate hymen be treated? After treatment, is it safe to have sex and have children?
Based on current medical advancements, uterine transplantation may be a promising future option for women with imperforate uteruses ("imperforate uterus"), but it remains in the research phase. However, for women with imperforate uteruses who do have a uterus, treatment can be effective, allowing them to resume sexual activity and fertility.
1. Those with congenital imperforate hymen
Treatment for congenital imperforate hymen is relatively simple. A simple "+" shaped incision is made at the original hymenal opening to remove the accumulated blood. Afterward, there will be no more abdominal pain during menstruation, and sexual intercourse and childbirth will be possible. However, if left untreated, menstrual blood cannot be discharged, and the accumulated blood can cause the fallopian tubes to enlarge and deform, or even block the fallopian tubes, potentially affecting fertility.
2. Vaginal malformation
For patients with vaginal malformations, Dr. Gong Xiaoming, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, has summarized that there are non-surgical and surgical treatments to complete the artificial vaginal reconstruction.
Non-surgical treatment refers to the pressure method, which uses pressure to gradually push the closed vestibular mucosa in the normal vaginal position into an artificial cavity. This method is only suitable for a very small number of patients with a short vaginal atresia (or a deep vaginal recess). Surgical treatment mainly involves separating the urethra, bladder, and rectum to create an artificial cavity, and using different coverings such as amniotic membrane, pelvic peritoneum, labial flap, sigmoid colon, and oral flap to reconstruct an artificial vagina.
Regardless of whether non-surgical or surgical treatment is used, patients who recover well can generally resume sexual activity 6 months after treatment. Patients who originally lacked a vagina but had a normally developed uterus can have normal sexual intercourse and bear children after vaginoplasty. However, patients without a uterus can only have sexual intercourse after vaginoplasty, but will not be able to conceive.
In feudal society, "stone woman" was a taboo subject among ordinary people. In their eyes, a "stone woman" was not only not considered a real woman, but was often seen as a symbol of bad luck and misfortune. In fact, being a "stone woman" was not the girl's fault. It simply occurred during pregnancy when the fetus's development, particularly the reproductive system, experienced a brief stagnation, leading to incomplete development of the reproductive system—a completely accidental occurrence.
With advancements in medical technology, most patients with imperforate hymen can be cured. Patients with imperforate hymen should not experience excessive psychological stress; they should maintain hope for life and seek timely surgical intervention to lead normal lives.
References
[1] Wang Shuyuan; Jin Lin. A case of reproductive tract malformation syndrome—urethral-vaginal septum hypoplasia [J]. Chinese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1998-03-01
[2] Wang Ying; Sun Hua. Vaginal septum in adolescent girls with amenorrhea—Lessons learned from misdiagnosis of complete vaginal septum complicated with other malformations in 3 cases [J]. New Medicine. 2003-05-30
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