The average cost of a vaginoplasty is $6,100, but the price can range from as little as $2,500 to as much as $13,000, according to hundreds of recent reviews from RealSelf members.
Doctors on RealSelf say to be wary of low-cost surgeries and physicians claiming to tighten with just a few stitches. If the procedure isn’t done right, “it won’t work, or will work for only a short while before breaking down, leaving you like you were before, only poorer,” says Dr. Michael Goodman, an OB-GYN in Davis, California, who specializes in female genital surgery. “Someone who only excises a bit at the vaginal opening and simply cinches and ties will leave their patient very disappointed.”
Read on to find out why prices vary so widely this surgical vaginal rejuvenation procedure, if insurance ever covers it, and whether real patients say it’s worth the money.
Interested in the cost of transgender vaginoplasty? Learn more.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About a Vaginoplasty
During your consultation, ask for a quote based on your customized treatment plan. An all-in estimate for vaginal rejuvenation surgery should include the:
Ask your surgeon about their pricing policy for revisions, in case you aren’t happy with your results or experience complications. Some doctors will waive or reduce their fee when making minor adjustments to previous work, but others charge full freight for secondary surgeries.
Vaginoplasty isn’t covered by health insurance because it’s classified as elective cosmetic surgery. “Vaginal laxity is not considered a medical problem,” says Dr. Marco Pelosi, an OB-GYN in Bayonne, New Jersey.
However, if your doctor can provide documentation of a medical diagnosis like pelvic organ prolapse, your surgical procedure may be partially covered by insurance. For instance, your insurance may cover the anesthesia and operating room costs if a vaginoplasty is performed at the same time as a medically necessary procedure.
Vaginoplasty has an impressive 95% Worth It Rating, meaning that most people who reviewed their results on RealSelf think it was a worthwhile investment.
Many say that surgery to tighten their vaginal wall and vaginal muscles boosted their confidence during sexual intercourse and increased sexual satisfaction for themselves and their partners.
The surgery also improves comfort (tampons can now stay in place) and often reduces urinary incontinence, so it can make a big impact on quality of life.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About a Vaginoplasty
The cost of vaginoplasty surgery is significantly higher than nonsurgical treatment options, such as ThermiVa ($2,427) and MonaLisa Touch ($1,969), which use thermal energy to temporarily boost collagen production and mildly tighten vaginal tissue. Nonsurgical options also come with little to no downtime.
On the other hand, they usually require maintenance treatments every year or two, at about a third of the cost of the original treatment series. If you want to maintain your results over time, you could end up spending more on a series of nonsurgical treatments than surgery—and not get the same level of tightening you would with a vaginoplasty.
Unless a new vaginal birth reverses your results, vaginoplasty offers life-long benefits. The vaginal canal will relax slightly with age, but it should never return to the degree of laxity you had prior to surgery.
The bottom line: If you're done with childbearing and you're a good candidate, a vaginoplasty procedure can be money well spent.
It’s also worth noting that nonsurgical treatments offer other benefits, like improved tissue elasticity and reduced dryness, so they can be very complementary to surgical vaginal rejuvenation.
Vaginoplasty tightens the vaginal canal to enhance sensation, improve the appearance of the vaginal opening and reduce urinary incontinence.
Several factors influence the cost of vaginal-tightening surgery, including:
Vaginoplasty procedures can be performed by an OB-GYN, urogynecologist, or plastic surgeon. But when it comes to this intimate surgery, finding a board-certified provider with many years—and, ideally, decades—performing vaginoplasties is key to getting the best result and reducing complications.
You'll pay more for their skills and experience, but this is not a surgery where you want to bargain shop. Revision vaginal rejuvenation surgery is not uncommon, and it can end up costing thousands more out of pocket, even if your initial surgeon offers you a price break on their fees to correct a bad result.
"I see too many patients that have had botched surgeries," says Dr. Aimee Nyugen, a urogynecologist in Dallas. "You definitely want to get it done right the first time."
Once you've found a surgeon with glowing patient reviews and an impressive gallery of before and after photos, verify their credentials; in the case of a gynecologist, look for board certification and specialization in "cosmetic gynecology." During your consultation, ask how many vaginoplasty surgeries they perform each month and year.
"Surgery doesn't come with guarantees, but a trained and experienced surgeon is your best bet for a good result," says Dr. Pelosi.
Cosmetic procedures like vaginoplasty usually cost more in major metro areas, due to the higher cost of living. This is especially true if your provider has a luxurious medspa in an upscale part of town, rather than a more modest practice in a less exclusive neighborhood.
If you're more concerned about saving money than how the waiting room looks, it's worth getting price quotes from a few qualified providers in different areas.
Procedures like this one are also more expensive when they're performed in a hospital than in a surgeon's own surgical center or office, so it's good to ask during your consultation where it will take place.
Vaginal rejuvenation surgery is an outpatient procedure, so you shouldn't have the expense of overnight recovery care.
General anesthesia is usually the most expensive option, though the cost of local anesthesia with IV sedation can be comparable because it also needs to be administered by an anesthesiologist (an MD) or a nurse anesthetist (a CRNA), who then monitors your vitals throughout your procedure.
A spinal or epidural block for the pain may be less expensive, and it can also be administered with oral sedation to provide sufficient comfort during the procedure.
Many women combine this vaginal surgery with other reconstructive surgeries for the genital area, pelvic floor, or anus. For instance, a vaginoplasty is usually performed with a perineoplasty ($4,725 average cost), which surgically tightens the vaginal opening.
"We combine surgeries all the time and would recommend that you don't do surgeries separately if you're able," says Dr. Nguyen.
Most providers discount their fees if multiple procedures are being performed—in some instances by as much as 50% after the first procedure—so it's more cost-effective to have them done together. Treating several concerns at once also allows you to consolidate the recovery time.
Vaginoplasty is also commonly combined with:
Browse average vaginoplasty costs in U.S. states, according to recent RealSelf member reviews (as of July 2023). States not currently listed did not have enough data to include.
State | Average Cost |
---|---|
California | $8,500 |
Colorado | $8,583 |
Florida | $6,490 |
Georgia | $6,240 |
Indiana | $5,680 |
Michigan | $5,167 |
New Jersey | $5,150 |
New York | $5,572 |
Ohio | $6,550 |
Texas | $9,000 |