Vaginoplasty & perineoplasty while on period? Will this affect my healing process?

Being on your period is unlikely to significantly affect the healing process after a vaginoplasty, labiaplasty or perineoplasty, but it’s still something to be mindful of during recovery. Some women may notice a bit more swelling or discomfort during their menstrual cycle due to normal hormonal changes. This is completely natural and usually goes away within a few days.

If you've recently had a vaginoplasty, labiaplasty or perineoplasty and your period starts, it's best to use sanitary pads instead of tampons or menstrual cups to protect the surgical area and avoid irritation. Practicing good hygiene during this time is also important to support smooth healing and prevent any complications.

Great question—and something we get asked often.

Having your period during surgery is generally not a problem and will not affect the healing process or cause your stitches to loosen. The surgical area and your menstrual flow are completely separate, and we take every precaution to ensure cleanliness and proper post-op care.

That said, if you’re concerned about comfort, you can wear a pad (no tampons or menstrual cups) after the procedure. If your period tends to be especially heavy and you'd like to discuss options to temporarily reduce flow—such as norethindrone or other short-term hormonal options—we’re happy to review that with you before surgery.

Thank you for your questionNo, your sense should not affect the healing process. There is a medicine called tranexamic acid that can be given intravenously during surgery which considerably decreases menstrual and surgical bleeding and can also be taken orally to significantly reduce menstrual bleeding before and after the surgery. Only proviso is that it can't be used while taking birth control pills.

Thank you for your inquiry. Based on my surgical experience, undergoing vaginoplasty during your menstrual period does not generally affect the healing process. While we typically prefer the surgical area to be less wet area, there is no significant risk if you are menstruating at the time of your procedure. Using a good antiseptic solution post-surgery will help maintain the area’s cleanliness and support healing.
As for your concern about stitches, your period will directly not cause them to loosen, If you take good care after surgery and change your pad frequently.
Best regards,Dr. Mehmet Bekir Şen

Yes. Your period has no effect on the quality of your surgery or on stitches. There is no need to delay your menses or reschedule your surgery and it is not uncommon to your surgery done at this time.

Hello, being menstrual during vaginoplasty and perinoplasty does not have a role in delaying wound healing, but your menstrual date can be adjusted earlier or later with medication for post-operative comfort.

The short answer is: no. No effect, so don't worry. As the average menses is 5-6 days long, and occurs every 25-35 days, the odds are ~ 15-20% that a premenopausal woman will be on her period when she has genital cosmetic surgery. No problem...

Best,

Michael P Goodman, MD, FACOG, IF, AAACS
Sacramento, CA, USA