Genital Injuries

What are Genital Injuries?

A Genital Injury is injury to the external genital organs (men: penis, scrotum, testicles; women: hymen, vulva (labia), vagina, area around the vulva) and the perineum. Genital Injuries don't just occur in children, they are fairly common in adults as well.

What are the causes of Genital Injuries?

Male: Genital Injuries can be caused by several factors which include:

• Straddle Injury - This kind of Genital Injury occurs when you slip and fall with your legs stretched apart e.g. while climbing a monkey bar, or falling on the bicycle bar or falling when climbing a tree.
• Zipper Injury - This kind of Genital Injury is usually caused when the foreskin of penis or scrotal skin gets caught in the zipper of your pants.
• Burns - Accidental chemical burns or burns from hot objects can also cause Genital Injuries.
• Trauma - Injuries sustained during a car accident, skiing accident, fall from height (common in construction workers) especially when falling on a sharp or blunt object quite commonly cause Genital Injuries.
• Toilet Seat Injury - The toilet seat slams down while urinating
• Genital Injuries caused by recreational activities like water skiing, jet skiing may occur due to high pressure injection of fluids

Female: Genital Injuries can be caused by several factors which include:

• Vaginal tears can occur while delivering a large baby
• Episiotomy cut (which is a cut made in the vulva or vagina to facilitate delivery of the baby during childbirth) gets torn, is too extensive (long), incompletely healed or there is formation of excessive scar tissue.
• Burns - Accidental chemical burns or burns from hot objects can also cause Genital Injuries.
• Insert foreign objects like pins, beads, buttons, crayons or pencils in the vagina.
• Rough sex or having sex for the first time can also cause Genital Injuries especially in young girls

What does surgery for Genital Injuries involve?

Depending on the injury (men, women, child) a reconstructive procedure or surgical repair is performed to restore the anatomy as well as function of the injured part of the external genitalia. You will be required to be hospitalized for a few days depending on the severity and extent of the Genital Injury. The surgical procedure for Genital Injuries are usually performed under general or local anesthesia with sedation to help you relax. The repair procedure may include draining any collections of blood, suturing of cuts or tears and surgery to repair any damage to other organs.

What are pre-operative preparations for surgery to repair Genital Injuries?

Like any other surgery, during your pre-operative consultation make sure to inform your surgeon and anesthetist about your health condition and all the prescription and non-prescription medications that you are taking including vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements. You will be instructed not to eat or drink any thing at least 10 hours before the surgery to repair your Genital Injuries. Make arrangements for someone to help you around the house for the next few days after the surgery.

What to expect during the recovery period following surgery to repair Genital Injuries?

You will be instructed to take bed rest, use ice packs, antibiotics and pain killers after the surgery. You will also be instructed to refrain from sexual intercourse for the next few weeks after surgery for your Genital Injuries to heal completely. There might be a catheter inserted into your urethral opening to help the urine drain and collect into a bag via a tube. You will be prescribed estrogen cream to apply locally to help your vaginal tissues heal and antibiotics to treat or prevent infection after the surgery.

What is the outcome of surgical repair for Genital Injuries?

Like most Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeries, the outcome of surgical repair for Genital Injuries is good. Chances are that timely intervention and rectification can take care of most of the Genital Injuries quite successfully.

B . R . A . N . D . of surgical repair for Genital Injuries

Benefits of surgical repair for Genital Injuries

• Surgical repair for Genital Injuries restores the normal appearance and function of the external genitalia. Abnormal looking external genitalia can be a tremendous source of anxiety especially in children and can result in delayed psychosexual development of an individual. Every thing looking normal on the exterior contributes a great deal to a person feeling good about him / her self.

Risks of surgical repair for Genital Injuries

• Infection
• Bleeding
• Allergic reaction to anesthesia

Alternatives to surgical repair for Genital Injuries

• There are no other treatment options .

Now or Never

• Genital Injuries need to be treated right away to prevent long-term psychological damage and complications. Genital Injuries in girls will very likely create a lot of anxiety for the child as well as for her parents. A Genital Injury can also pose a risk to a fetus if the woman is pregnant.

Decision to have surgical repair for Genital Injuries

• It is important to find an experienced surgeon who will correct the problems efficiently so that there minimal scarring especially in penis or vagina. Excessive scarring of tissues can cause painful erection of penis or vaginal pain during intercourse and difficulty dilating during child birth.