septate hymen / hymenectomy [Conversation continued]

Okay hi to anyone reading this, I'm back (anonymous 10) having just had the surgery yesterday! I chose to have a general anaesthetic, but you can have it under local (but I was a bit worried that having anaesthetic injected there/being awake for the procedure would increase the strength of the association I already have between that area and pain/stress, and I don't want to get vaginismus which can happen after having problems with your hymen, so I chose to be knocked out).

Before I went in I really didn't know what to expect and I found the previous reply walking me through the procedure to be really helpful, so I'll just do a overview of my whole experience too! It's going to be really long, as I personally would've liked to know every minute detail before I'd gone in, so bear with me lol. Basically, TLDR; everything was fine, it was a good experience, bring your own dressing gown & slippers and something to keep you occupied while waiting (as there's a lot of waiting involved!).

I had to get to the hospital for 8am, and couldn't eat or drink anything beforehand (apart from a tiny bit of water at 6:30am). When I got there, I was admitted to the day case ward where a nurse came and did my vitals (checked details, checked that I didn't have any symptoms of any other illnesses (vomiting/diarrhoea etc), checked my blood pressure). I was then given some paracetamol to take with a tiny bit of water as a pre-op drug (apparently it's pretty standard), and asked to provide a urine sample. My tip for anyone getting this done is to do a urine sample at home before you come or the night before and bring it in with you - the nurse asked me if I'd brought one, but I hadn't been told to, so I had to do one there despite having had no fluids and having already been to the loo that morning! As it turned out I was able to get a sample fine, but it might be less stressful if you've done one beforehand. The sample is so they can do a pregnancy test - it's standard procedure with any and all gyno surgeries, so you will have to do one (even if like me, you're a virgin lol).

The head anaesthetist then came to see me - he asked me what kind of anaesthetic I was expecting (general), and then took me through some of the risks etc. He was also SO kind & helpful about my phobia of vomiting! On one of the forms you have to fill in at pre-op, it asks you whether you've ever experienced anxiety/panic attacks. I obviously circled that I have, but noted that they're now an extremely rare occurrence (maybe one a year maximum). He spotted this and asked me what usually triggers them, so I told him about my phobia and that vomit is usually my trigger. He instantly asked whether nausea was also a trigger (it is), and said that because of that he would treat the anaesthetic as though they knew it was going to make me nauseous (I assume that means that he either gave me a drug that's less likely to cause nausea, or gave me some anti-sickness drugs at the same time). So I didn't feel any nausea at all when I woke up which was amazing, as that's what I'd been the most scared about! The anaesthetist also asked me if I had any questions for him, so if you have questions it's a great time to ask them. An assistant anaesthetist came to see me about 10 mins later too, and basically asked the same things.

I then had to wait for about an hour and a half for the surgeon to arrive (he'd been in a morning meeting). When he did, he introduced himself and went over the procedure again. I also had the opportunity to ask him any questions (I didn't have any). He then went off to do the same with the other two patients in my unit (there were only three of us in a unit that had 10 or so beds because of covid - so I probably had a quieter & more relaxed experience than some people in normal times).

I then had to wait for another few hours - I was second on the list, so only had to wait for one other person before me. I was getting very hungry though, and my stomach was rumbling really loudly lol. Just before midday I was told that I was next, and had to get dressed into the hospital gown with my own dressing gown from home on top and my own slippers (if you don't have a dressing gown and slippers they'll give you an extra hospital gown & socks, but it's nicer to have your own!). After about another 15 mins or so, I was walked to another room where the anaesthetist and his team were waiting, and I had to lie down on a bed while they were chatting to me about all sorts of things (basically just small talk lol). They took my blood pressure and then put a cannula in my hand (which I was a bit nervous about, but was actually fine!), and then they injected in some local anaesthetic as the general can hurt. I then had to breathe with an oxygen mask over my face, and they injected in the general. Unfortunately, the local anaesthetic clearly hadn't got too far up my arm, because although my hand felt fine there was a searing pain in my arm! It was fine though, and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room with two nurses on either side of me, talking about my phobia for some reason (god knows what I must've been saying when I woke up lol).

After that, I had to stay with the nurses for a bit - the surgeon was in the room writing up some notes, and he told me that everything had gone well. I was given some water to drink, and I think someone took my blood pressure (which was quite low). I was then wheeled back into the day case unit, where my stuff was waiting for me (clothes, bag, shoes). Some nurses came over and got me some tea and biscuits, and took my blood pressure again (which was still too low). They told me to drink as much as I could to get it up again (as it gets low when you're dehydrated, which I obviously was from not having fluids all day!) I also had a bag of fluids attached to my cannula which was finishing draining. I didn't feel any nausea whatsoever when I woke up, or pain - think I'm one of the lucky ones lol! I did feel kinda sleepy though, like my eyes were trying to close all the time and it was difficult to keep them open (like when you're really tired on a long car journey but are trying your best not to go to sleep). I'm not sure if it was because of the early morning I'd had, or the anaesthetic, or a combination of both, but either way it was just a bit annoying and nothing major! The tea helped, and I felt much better about half an hour later.

After a bit the surgeon came in to see me again and told me the same stuff he'd told me in the recovery room. He also said not to use tampons on my next period, or have intercourse/put anything up there for a month. The stitches he used will dissolve by themselves, so I don't have to get them removed or anything which is also good.

A nurse came and disconnected my IV fluids, and helped me to get out of bed. She also took my blood pressure again (which was on the low side of fine).

Before you're allowed to leave, you have to go for a wee to prove that you can (lol) - I think it's because some people can't after a general, so they need to check that everything's working (and that your kidneys haven't shut down according to my mum, who's a vet). After having several cups of water and a cup of tea I had no problems with it lol!

Eventually I was allowed to get dressed back into my normal clothes. Before I could leave, they took my blood pressure yet again (which was much more normal) and removed the cannula from my hand (which I was also worried about, but didn't hurt at all!). They then finally wheeled me downstairs in a wheelchair (you're not allowed to walk yourself out in case you faint!!), and a nurse stayed with me in the chair until my mum arrived to pick me up.

And that was the end of that! Sorry for such a long post - I just know that I'd have appreciated having this much detail before going in for my hymenectomy, so in case there's anyone else out there like me who's scared & wants to know exactly what will happen, I thought I'd go into loads of detail. I still haven't felt any pain, and although of course I've had some bleeding it's been no more than I'd usually get from spotting or the very end of my period.

Some final tips: bring a smallish bag with your dressing gown, slippers, and phone in - plus a charger/portable charger just in case your phone dies! I didn't really have a small bag so I just brought my kanken rucksack, and it was fine. I'd also recommend bringing a book - I didn't, but I quickly got bored of scrolling through my phone and started reading on the kindle app, which helped to calm my nerves a bit as I personally find getting lost in a book's world to be much more distracting than playing a game on your phone. Also, take out any jewellery (like earrings) that you have, and don't wear necklaces, bracelets etc. They'll just ask you to take them off when you're in the hospital anyway, so you might as well leave them at home! Finally, don't be scared to ask questions - everyone I met was super friendly and lovely.

Hope that everyone else getting this procedure has as good of an experience as I did! x

hi, i would like some advice. i noticed when i started my period that my vagina was strange as i cannot insert a tampon even the slightest bit, even the teen tampons sting and get stuck at the entrance. recently i have started experimenting and i can just about fit one finger in up to the second knuckle, but it is painful and feels not at all pleasureable. i had a look in the mirror and i have no visible hole at all - i know there must be one as i managed to insert my finger and i still have periods but from the mirror view there was not one there. what do i do? i’m terrified i won’t be able to have sex or have kids and i feel ugly. i am worried the problem goes deeper than the hymen as i read that a hymen problem would just affect the entrance but i feel pain throughout my vagina when i insert a finger. i do not want to go to the gp and i would prefer it if i could go straight to a gyno but i’m not sure how that works. what do you suggest i do?

hi, i would like some advice. i noticed when i started my period that my vagina was strange as i cannot insert a tampon even the slightest bit, even the teen tampons sting and get stuck at the entrance. recently i have started experimenting and i can just about fit one finger in up to the second knuckle, but it is painful and feels not at all pleasureable. i had a look in the mirror and i have no visible hole at all - i know there must be one as i managed to insert my finger and i still have periods but from the mirror view there was not one there. what do i do? i’m terrified i won’t be able to have sex or have kids and i feel ugly. i am worried the problem goes deeper than the hymen as i read that a hymen problem would just affect the entrance but i feel pain throughout my vagina when i insert a finger. i do not want to go to the gp and i would prefer it if i could go straight to a gyno but i’m not sure how that works. what do you suggest i do?

Okay hi to anyone reading this, I'm back (anonymous 10) having just had the surgery yesterday! I chose to have a general anaesthetic, but you can have it under local (but I was a bit worried that having anaesthetic injected there/being awake for the procedure would increase the strength of the association I already have between that area and pain/stress, and I don't want to get vaginismus which can happen after having problems with your hymen, so I chose to be knocked out).

Before I went in I really didn't know what to expect and I found the previous reply walking me through the procedure to be really helpful, so I'll just do a overview of my whole experience too! It's going to be really long, as I personally would've liked to know every minute detail before I'd gone in, so bear with me lol. Basically, TLDR; everything was fine, it was a good experience, bring your own dressing gown & slippers and something to keep you occupied while waiting (as there's a lot of waiting involved!).

I had to get to the hospital for 8am, and couldn't eat or drink anything beforehand (apart from a tiny bit of water at 6:30am). When I got there, I was admitted to the day case ward where a nurse came and did my vitals (checked details, checked that I didn't have any symptoms of any other illnesses (vomiting/diarrhoea etc), checked my blood pressure). I was then given some paracetamol to take with a tiny bit of water as a pre-op drug (apparently it's pretty standard), and asked to provide a urine sample. My tip for anyone getting this done is to do a urine sample at home before you come or the night before and bring it in with you - the nurse asked me if I'd brought one, but I hadn't been told to, so I had to do one there despite having had no fluids and having already been to the loo that morning! As it turned out I was able to get a sample fine, but it might be less stressful if you've done one beforehand. The sample is so they can do a pregnancy test - it's standard procedure with any and all gyno surgeries, so you will have to do one (even if like me, you're a virgin lol).

The head anaesthetist then came to see me - he asked me what kind of anaesthetic I was expecting (general), and then took me through some of the risks etc. He was also SO kind & helpful about my phobia of vomiting! On one of the forms you have to fill in at pre-op, it asks you whether you've ever experienced anxiety/panic attacks. I obviously circled that I have, but noted that they're now an extremely rare occurrence (maybe one a year maximum). He spotted this and asked me what usually triggers them, so I told him about my phobia and that vomit is usually my trigger. He instantly asked whether nausea was also a trigger (it is), and said that because of that he would treat the anaesthetic as though they knew it was going to make me nauseous (I assume that means that he either gave me a drug that's less likely to cause nausea, or gave me some anti-sickness drugs at the same time). So I didn't feel any nausea at all when I woke up which was amazing, as that's what I'd been the most scared about! The anaesthetist also asked me if I had any questions for him, so if you have questions it's a great time to ask them. An assistant anaesthetist came to see me about 10 mins later too, and basically asked the same things.

I then had to wait for about an hour and a half for the surgeon to arrive (he'd been in a morning meeting). When he did, he introduced himself and went over the procedure again. I also had the opportunity to ask him any questions (I didn't have any). He then went off to do the same with the other two patients in my unit (there were only three of us in a unit that had 10 or so beds because of covid - so I probably had a quieter & more relaxed experience than some people in normal times).

I then had to wait for another few hours - I was second on the list, so only had to wait for one other person before me. I was getting very hungry though, and my stomach was rumbling really loudly lol. Just before midday I was told that I was next, and had to get dressed into the hospital gown with my own dressing gown from home on top and my own slippers (if you don't have a dressing gown and slippers they'll give you an extra hospital gown & socks, but it's nicer to have your own!). After about another 15 mins or so, I was walked to another room where the anaesthetist and his team were waiting, and I had to lie down on a bed while they were chatting to me about all sorts of things (basically just small talk lol). They took my blood pressure and then put a cannula in my hand (which I was a bit nervous about, but was actually fine!), and then they injected in some local anaesthetic as the general can hurt. I then had to breathe with an oxygen mask over my face, and they injected in the general. Unfortunately, the local anaesthetic clearly hadn't got too far up my arm, because although my hand felt fine there was a searing pain in my arm! It was fine though, and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room with two nurses on either side of me, talking about my phobia for some reason (god knows what I must've been saying when I woke up lol).

After that, I had to stay with the nurses for a bit - the surgeon was in the room writing up some notes, and he told me that everything had gone well. I was given some water to drink, and I think someone took my blood pressure (which was quite low). I was then wheeled back into the day case unit, where my stuff was waiting for me (clothes, bag, shoes). Some nurses came over and got me some tea and biscuits, and took my blood pressure again (which was still too low). They told me to drink as much as I could to get it up again (as it gets low when you're dehydrated, which I obviously was from not having fluids all day!) I also had a bag of fluids attached to my cannula which was finishing draining. I didn't feel any nausea whatsoever when I woke up, or pain - think I'm one of the lucky ones lol! I did feel kinda sleepy though, like my eyes were trying to close all the time and it was difficult to keep them open (like when you're really tired on a long car journey but are trying your best not to go to sleep). I'm not sure if it was because of the early morning I'd had, or the anaesthetic, or a combination of both, but either way it was just a bit annoying and nothing major! The tea helped, and I felt much better about half an hour later.

After a bit the surgeon came in to see me again and told me the same stuff he'd told me in the recovery room. He also said not to use tampons on my next period, or have intercourse/put anything up there for a month. The stitches he used will dissolve by themselves, so I don't have to get them removed or anything which is also good.

A nurse came and disconnected my IV fluids, and helped me to get out of bed. She also took my blood pressure again (which was on the low side of fine).

Before you're allowed to leave, you have to go for a wee to prove that you can (lol) - I think it's because some people can't after a general, so they need to check that everything's working (and that your kidneys haven't shut down according to my mum, who's a vet). After having several cups of water and a cup of tea I had no problems with it lol!

Eventually I was allowed to get dressed back into my normal clothes. Before I could leave, they took my blood pressure yet again (which was much more normal) and removed the cannula from my hand (which I was also worried about, but didn't hurt at all!). They then finally wheeled me downstairs in a wheelchair (you're not allowed to walk yourself out in case you faint!!), and a nurse stayed with me in the chair until my mum arrived to pick me up.

And that was the end of that! Sorry for such a long post - I just know that I'd have appreciated having this much detail before going in for my hymenectomy, so in case there's anyone else out there like me who's scared & wants to know exactly what will happen, I thought I'd go into loads of detail. I still haven't felt any pain, and although of course I've had some bleeding it's been no more than I'd usually get from spotting or the very end of my period.

Some final tips: bring a smallish bag with your dressing gown, slippers, and phone in - plus a charger/portable charger just in case your phone dies! I didn't really have a small bag so I just brought my kanken rucksack, and it was fine. I'd also recommend bringing a book - I didn't, but I quickly got bored of scrolling through my phone and started reading on the kindle app, which helped to calm my nerves a bit as I personally find getting lost in a book's world to be much more distracting than playing a game on your phone. Also, take out any jewellery (like earrings) that you have, and don't wear necklaces, bracelets etc. They'll just ask you to take them off when you're in the hospital anyway, so you might as well leave them at home! Finally, don't be scared to ask questions - everyone I met was super friendly and lovely.

Hope that everyone else getting this procedure has as good of an experience as I did! x

hi, i would like some advice. i noticed when i started my period that my vagina was strange as i cannot insert a tampon even the slightest bit, even the teen tampons sting and get stuck at the entrance. recently i have started experimenting and i can just about fit one finger in up to the second knuckle, but it is painful and feels not at all pleasureable. i had a look in the mirror and i have no visible hole at all - i know there must be one as i managed to insert my finger and i still have periods but from the mirror view there was not one there. what do i do? i’m terrified i won’t be able to have sex or have kids and i feel ugly. i am worried the problem goes deeper than the hymen as i read that a hymen problem would just affect the entrance but i feel pain throughout my vagina when i insert a finger. i do not want to go to the gp and i would prefer it if i could go straight to a gyno but i’m not sure how that works. what do you suggest i do?

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Anonymous 10! Describing it in a lot of detail makes me feel much better about the whole procedure. Also, can I just say how nice the atmosphere in this thread is? Everyone is so nice and helping each other and it makes me so happy

Hi, I just wanted to join this thread!
I've know that there was something wrong with my hymen for a few years now, but I was too scared to get it checked out. After reading online, I've come to the conclusion that I have an imperforate hymen and, as there's no opening, there's no chance of getting anything inside. It took me a while to build up the courage, but after settling into university for my second year and registering at a nearby GP, I booked in for an appointment. I basically wrote everything that a poster suggested when requesting an appointment, only changing a few key details, and also said that I wanted to be seen by a female GP. I went to my appointment today and she practically confirmed everything that I thought: I have an imperforate hymen, though I am still able to get my period. She tried putting a finger inside and it was soo painful so she stopped. She was going to put a tool through as well, but as there's no opening, she agreed to refer me to a gyno for surgery.

I originally thought that I had vaginismus and would just be told do to some physical therapy, but once I realised that I definitely wouldn't be able to fit any dilators inside, I knew that I most likely would need surgery. The advice on here has been really helpful! When I first started looking into this, I couldn't find any threads on here. It's good to see that people are going through the same thing and have also experienced getting the surgery! I was told that there might be a bit of a wait because of the virus, but I'm hoping that I'll have the surgery before the end of the year.

glad it worked out for you i’m thinking when i go to uni next year i’ll register at a gp there and get it sorted, there’s no way i’m going to be able to muster up the courage to go to the doctor i’ve been seeing since i was a child for this. i’m really hoping it’s just a hymen thing that i can have fixed but the pain definitely goes deeper so i’m worried it’s an internal problem - i was reading about things such as retroverted uterus but i’m not sure if they can be fixed as easily.

This thread helped me a lot when I was worried about my septate so I thought I would share my experience. I’d only ever dated a girl (I’m bi) so my septate, while a little annoying, had never been a HUGE issue for me, but when I moved to uni in September and started dating a guy I knew it was going one way or another. I have massive anxiety with doctors and surgery, so *a little graphic* I decided to try and ‘stretch’ one side on my own. It worked, over the course of about a week I went from barely being able to take one finger without pain to comfortably taking two and a half. The septum became really thin, but it still didn’t seem like it was going to completely snap without some, for want of a better word, girth, so I finally decided to have sex with my current bf. I’m not exaggerating, all I felt was a slight pop and my first thought was ‘is that it?’. There was a fair bit of blood, and I was a little sore afterwards, but honestly nothing like people had described. I know this may not be everyone’s experience, and I would recommend working on stretching the hymen first instead of jumping straight to penetration. I’m not encouraging to break/stretch your own hymen, it’s probably best to have it done by a professional, however with patience it is possible to at least wear it down a little. Just make sure if you decide to break it through sex, you let the person you’re sleeping with know about it and tell them to go slow

Hiya, so I'm having my hymenectomy surgery soon and wanted to share how my first appointment went as it might help some of you that feel too nervous about going to get your septate/imperforate/etc hymen checked up. I called up my GP and they referred me to a gynaecologist (I specified that I preferred a female doctor). I was kinda nervous before the appointment but it went so well! They're not allowed to be alone with me in a room (I didn't want my mum to be there when she checked my bits) so another female nurse came in. They placed a sheet of paper over my legs and used a cotton bud to look- it literally look 10 seconds and then they left me to get dressed. She confirmed that I have a septate hymen and talked to me about it and the surgery (which is happening very soon- i'll let you know how it goes!). Overall it was a great experience- the nurses were so lovely and professional and it was very quick. Just remember that they have had many other patients in the same situation as you and they just view it as part of their job. So I would definitely recommend going to see someone about it! Let me know if you have any questions about the appointment

I don't have a septate hymen, but I would have tried stretching it if I could. Unfortunately, mine is imperforate. I'm still waiting for my referral, which is kind of annoying. I'm not expecting to hear from them until February now. After I get the surgery, I will probably get some dilators to help (and hopefully they'll advise me on what to do next). I haven't been in a relationship yet, but I wanted to get it done before as it's one less thing to deal with. Plus, I'm in my twenties now and want to start dating soon.



Have you had your surgery yet?

I was meant to have it a month ago but then lockdown happened again and the hymenectomy isn't considered to be urgent so I don't know when it will be happening...

I had quite a thick septate hymen and I’ve been having sex for 4 years now and it had still not gone. The other week during sex I randomly bled (which was embarrassing) and it was because of the septate hymen not breaking, but it is now a lot thinner? It’s very confusing but i spoke to a doctor in October about it and I am still yet to hear back from the gynaecology department because of corona. Just wondering if anyone else has been waiting so long too?

I have been waiting since the start of October too! The doctor did say that there might be a bit of a wait because of the virus and because it wasn't urgent, but I didn't realise that it takes about 18 weeks from being referred to be able to see a gynecologist! Someone above said that their surgery was cancelled due to the lockdown, so I hope that I won't have to wait any longer. Apparently 18 weeks from my first appointment will be around mid-February so if I don't hear anything by then, I think I'll give them a call and see. From what I've read on here, I think you have to see the gynecologist, go to a pre-op and then you can have the surgery, but honestly, I just want to get it done soon. I don't think I can wait another few more months.