Hymenorrhaphy, the Biology:

hymenorrhaphy or hymen reconstruction surgery is the surgical restoration of the hymen. the term comes
from the greek words hymen meaning membrane, and raphe meaning suture. It is also known as hymenoplasty

such procedures are not generally regarded as part of mainstream gynecology, but are available from some
plastic surgery centres, particularly in the usa, japan and western europe, generally as day surgery. the
normal aim is to cause bleeding during the wedding night, which in some cultures, mostly arab but not
exclusively, is a required proof of virginity. it is becoming slightly more common in the usa.
in france, the cost can be covered by state if the patient claim that she has been raped. however, it
is claimed that "ninety-nine percent of the time, the claim is a fraud" done by those who cannot pay for the
cost of surgery.

--> a purely cosmetic procedure in which a membrane without blood supply is created, sometimes including
a gelatine capsule of an artificial bloodlike substance. this operation is intended to be performed within a
few days before an intended marriage.

--> use of a flap of the vaginal lining, complete with its blood supply, to create a new hymen.
patients are advised to refrain from penetrative sex for up to three months following these procedures.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Hymenorrhaphy, the Story:

Paris:

Sitting in a cafe near the Champs Elysees, the 26-year-old French-born woman of Algerian descent looks
like any other Parisian. But two months ago, she did something none of her friends have done.

She had her hymen re-sewn, technically making her a virgin again.

"I'm glad I had it done," said the woman, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. "I wanted to
reconstruct part of my life, to reconstruct myself so that I could feel better about myself."

This 30-minute outpatient procedure, called "hymenoplasty" and costing between 1,500 and 3,000 euros
($2,000-$4,000), is increasingly popular among young women of North African descent in France.

No exact figures exist to say how many such operations are done, but the woman's surgeon says he gets
three to five queries and performs one to three hymenoplasties each week. Demand has been rising for the
past three or four years.

Doctor Marc Abecassis, whose office is near the chic Champs Elysees, sees the rise in religion among
France's five million Muslims fuelling this trend. His patients are between 18 and 45 years old, Muslim, born
both in France and in North Africa.

"Many of my patients are caught between two worlds," said Abecassis. They have had sex already but are
expected to be virgins at marriage according to a custom that he called "cultural and traditional, with
enormous family pressure".

For this woman, the decision to have the surgery came after she broke up with a boyfriend who had
pressured her into having sex. Unable to cope with breaking family tradition, she felt a hymenoplasty would
help put her life back together again.

Another of Abecassis' patients, a 22-year-old Algerian immigrant who asked to be called Karima, said most
young women had the operation to respect their culture or family tradition, not for religious reasons.

In fact, neither woman is a practicing Muslim. They dress, speak and act like other young Parisians, but are
also part of a growing silent group of women who juggle traditional Muslim and modern French values.

All the women who spoke to Reuters did so condition that their identities not be revealed.

Don't disappoint the fiance

Karima also lost her virginity to an ex-boyfriend. She plans to marry soon and her fiancé expects her to be a
virgin. So last month, she commuted in from an eastern suburb of Paris, where she lives with her parents,
and had the surgery.

The next day she was back at work. "I don't want to disappoint my fiancé," she said, adjusting her glasses
and brushing her highlighted brown hair from her face. "I wouldn't have had the surgery if I hadn't met him."

A leading Muslim spokesman said Islam says bride and groom should be virgins before marriage, but did not
take a clear stand for or against hymenoplasties.

"If someone committed a sin, the essential thing is to repent," said Lhaj Thami Breze, head of the Union of
French Islamic Organizations.

For many doctors, resewing the hymen goes against their ideals of sexual freedom and personal liberty.

Courtesy: CNNIBN