The Role of Partners in Motivations for Labiaplasty and Partner Outcomes

We read the study by Bestel et al with great interest.¹ This research focused on male sexual responses to their partner undergoing labiaplasty surgery. Forty-nine males were interviewed before their partner's surgery and then 6 months later using a range of validated measures broadly investigating sexual satisfaction and ejaculation function. According to the authors, for the partners there were significant improvements in frequency, contact, touch, satisfaction, impotence, premature ejaculation, nature of sexual intercourse, and an overall sexual satisfaction score. There were no differences in ejaculatory function or difficulty from prelabiaplasty to postlabiaplasty. Overall it appeared that the partners were enjoying an improved sex life after labiaplasty.

The role of partners has received some research attention in the context of labiaplasty, including our own investigations. We found that negative comments from partners about genital appearance were related to females’ consideration of labiaplasty and provided a motivation for some females to actually undergo labiaplasty.^2-4 However, these commentaries were generally from former partners, not the current partners involved in the study by Bestel et al.¹ These findings from former partners are understandable because it would likely be very challenging for females to maintain a relationship with a male who openly expresses negative opinions about their genitalia. We have also found that some females do not tell their current partners that they are having a labiaplasty because they are concerned about being judged for their decision.⁵ Although not stated explicitly by Bestel et al, we can potentially assume that the males involved in the study were well aware and supportive of their partner's decision to undergo labiaplasty, and were unlikely to be sources of negative commentary about their partner's genital appearance before surgery.¹ This is despite all patients involved seeking labiaplasty for “cosmetic purposes only.”¹

Indeed, the exclusion criteria for both the female and male partners were somewhat restrictive in Bestel et al's study.¹ For example, patients and partners with psychiatric illness, presumably including body dysmorphic disorder, which has been reported in 18% of females seeking labiaplasty, were excluded, as were those experiencing sexual dysfunction such as vaginismus or erectile dysfunction.⁶ Therefore, we appear to have a generally psychologically and sexually healthy sample of females and males that is not necessarily representative of all females seeking labiaplasty and their male partners.

Nevertheless, we believe this study represents an important step forward in a more comprehensive examination of the psychosexual outcomes of labiaplasty in females with partners. We encourage more of this type of investigation so we can better understand predictors of satisfaction with labiaplasty outcomes for both the females themselves and their partners. When possible, this comprehensive investigation of partner experiences should be extended to males seeking penile augmentation because, in our experience, males commonly report “enhancing partner's sexual pleasure” as a motivation for augmentation.⁷ Does this actually occur? More research will provide the answer.

Disclosures

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

REFERENCES

Author notes