Vaginal shortening can occur after any gynecologic surgery. When shortening occurs, it can be one of the most difficult complications to correct. Procedures that could cause vaginal shortening include: hysterectomy, vaginal prolapse repair, bladder suspension surgery, bladder tack, anterior repair, posterior repair, enterocele repair, vaginal mesh surgery, sacrospinous ligament suspension, vault suspension, or after cervical or uterine cancer surgery and radiation therapy.
A shortened vagina as a result of these other surgical procedures may be devastating to a woman’s life. Pain with sexual intercourse or not being able to have intercourse is the number one complaints of patients with a shortened vagina. Patients state that they had no problem with sexual intercourse prior to the surgery, however after the surgery the vagina is either too shot, or there is pain with thrusting. Many patients are told “don’t worry, it will get better” or that there is nothing that can be done about it, but this is far from the truth. With Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore, there is hope for women suffering from this condition.
There are both surgical and non-surgical treatment options for a short vagina. Non surgical interventions include: pelvic floor physical therapy, pelvic floor massage, and vaginal dilators. There are many invasive procedures utilizing skin grafts, muscle flaps, biologic animal grafts or even bowel to lengthen the vagina, however, these techniques can be unnecessarily invasive with possible higher complication rates, especially when compared to the technique used by Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore.
The Davydov procedure is routinely used to create vaginal canals in young women who are born without a vagina, however, Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore were one of the first surgeons in the world to successfully utilize this procedure to lengthen surgically shortened vaginas. They have been able to modify the Davyov procedure to create vaginal length in patients with shortened vaginas. Called the Laparoscopic Neovagina, it is the least invasive technique, with minimal complications, and it gives the greatest chance of vaginal lengthening success.
In this procedure, the patient’s own internal tissue (i.e. the peritoneum which is the lining of the pelvis) is mobilized and utilized to lengthen the vagina, therefore no external grafts are necessary and the risk of scarring down is minimized.
Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore have helped women with shortened vaginas after cervical cancer and radiation therapy. Patients who have undergone radiation therapy often have severe scarring. This is considered one of the most complicated types of patients to lengthen a vagina, however they have used the procedure with great success. The doctors have successfully restored vaginal length in women who have failed other surgical lengthening procedures. They have successfully used the laparoscopic Davydov technique on patients who have already undergone and failed McIndoe, Vecchietti, and Gracillis flap procedures, or other vaginal lengthening procedures including attempts at lengthening with dermal grafts.
Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore have even put together a case report on the subject, involving a 62-year-old patient who was postmenopausal who was presented to their office with a history of vaginal shortening due to multiple vaginal procedures many years prior. The doctors performed the laparoscopic surgery while the patient was under general anesthesia, during which minimal trauma or bleed was encountered. After the procedure, the patient returned 4 weeks after being discharged from the hospital for a follow up. She was encouraged to continue dilator use and estrogen application three more weeks, at which point, barring any unforeseen complications, she could begin intercourse.
Nine months after the procedure, the patient returned and reported being sexually active without complications and was completely satisfied with her surgery. This was a great success for Doctors Miklos and Moore, and certainly helped establish the laparoscopic Davydov procedure as an established technique for Neovagina creation. The procedure has proven to be highly effective in postsurgical Female Sexual Function Index scores, and postoperative measurements. Additionally, relative to other commonly performed Neovagina surgeries, the laparoscopic Davydov yields an immediate full length vagina with less intraoperative and post operative bleeding.
Many women suffer from a shortened vagina after having even just one vaginal surgery done, and Doctors Miklos and Moore know that if this does occur, it can be devastating to a woman’s self-esteem and overall health. They’re arguably the best in the field of urogynecology, and are able to perform the best procedure to help relieve any pain and suffering you may feel. Contact Doctor Miklos and Doctor Moore today with any questions you may have about vaginal shortening and the laparoscopic Neovagina procedure.