Tue Aug 15

Dr Laith Barnouti: We need to talk about the silent epidemic of childbirth trauma

Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus

According to leading specialist plastic surgeon Dr Laith Barnouti, highly regarded for his work in the field of Cosmetic Plastic surgery, while childbirth is one of the most significant things a woman can experience bringing a new baby into the world, it can also cause serious damage to the genital area. A lot of women are suffering in silence because it is still considered taboo to talk about.

“Many women experience issues during childbirth including tearing, cutting and stretching. While a woman’s body is designed to give birth, childbirth can be difficult and many women are left with scarring, tearing, prolapse, stretched tract and other complications as a result,” Dr Barnouti said today.

“The average size of a baby’s head is 11.4 centimetres in diameter. The average diameter of a woman’s vagina is 2.1 to 3.5 centimetres. So it is completely understandable that damage is caused to the vaginal wall during childbirth with this ratio. Put any other body part, such as tummy skin, under same enormous tension and it will end up being stretched out and partially damaged.

“Unfortunately a lot of women are too shy to talk about it, embarrassed about their genital area and what childbirth has done to this part of the body.

“This is affecting their self-confidence and their quality of life, especially their sex life. Childbirth can cause the vagina and pelvic floor muscles to become enlarged and stretched. Some women suffer from a stretched vagina and stretched pelvic floor muscles, uterine prolapse and lack of sexual satisfaction.

“We need to start talking openly about the damage childbirth does to the vagina and let women know it is OK to talk about it and importantly there are things they can do to fix the damage.

“Childbirth and aging cause the vaginal tissues to become thinner and more atrophic. Vaginal restorative surgery restores the perineal/pelvic floor muscle and vaginal lining tissue resulting in tighter tract and restoring the vagina to pre labour time. A tighter vaginal tract results in more friction during intercourse which translates into greater sex sensation.

Vaginal restorative surgery is a functional and aesthetic procedure, it improves the look and health of the genital area and improves the love life in the process.

“According to ABS statistics, a baby is born in Australia every 1 minute and 41 seconds. That means there are a lot of women experiencing and living with vaginal trauma.

“Many of the women I see in my surgery are turning to vaginal rejuvenation and restorative surgery to fix damage caused during childbirth. It isn’t just about achieving a designer vagina or looking better visually, it is about improving their overall health, functionality, wellbeing and feeling more comfortable within themselves.

“GPs need to start asking women how they are really feeling after childbirth and whether they need to seek the assistance of a specialist to help them to fix their broken body parts after they finished their family. We need to have open and honest conversations about this issue as too many women are suffering and they shouldn’t be.”