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Introduction Vulvoplasty, or female genital cosmetic surgery (FGCS), refers to any surgical alteration of the vaginal or labial anatomy for aesthetic or medical reasons. It aims to restore or enhance the female genitals and can involve multiple procedures such as labiaplasty, clitoral unhooding, monsplasty, vaginoplasty, hymenoplasty, G-spot augmentation, frenuloplasty, perineoplasty, fat injections, or a combination of these. Labiaplasty is currently the most popular procedure among patients. Since the public is exploring FGCS benefits in the media, it can be foreseen that it will soon gain popularity among the population of Saudi Arabia. As a result, the purpose of this study is to assess women's attitudes and knowledge towards genital cosmetic surgeries in Saudi Arabia. Methods This correlational cross-sectional survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia among women aged 18 years and above, using an online self-structured questionnaire distributed from April 2023 to October 2023. The sample size of 594 respondents was determined based on a minimum requirement of 500 participants, with a confidence level of 95% and a study power of 95%. A convenient sampling method was employed to select participants, and data collection was carried out through a self-administered online questionnaire distributed via various social media platforms. The survey was self-structured, and Cronbach's alpha values for all sections were greater than 0.7. These sections include demographic characteristics, sexual life and obstetric history, and women's knowledge, practices, and attitudes toward FGCS. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and t-test were used for data analysis using SPSS software. Results A total of 589 eligible women were included in the study; 284 (48.2%) were from the central region, and ages ranged from 18 to 65 years, with a mean age of 33.5 years. A total of 401 (68.1%) were married, 366 (62.1%) had a bachelor degree. Two hundred and ninety-one (49.4%) participants heard about FGCS, 165 (28%) knew that it involves surgical procedures to change the appearance of the female genitalia, 144 (24.4%) said it is also known as vaginal rejuvenation or designer vagina surgery and 200 (34%) knew it can involve procedures such as labiaplasty, clitoral hood reduction, or vaginal tightening, while 190 (32.3%) reported it is sometimes done for aesthetic reasons but may also be done for medical reasons. Only 45 (7.6%) had undergone FGCS, but 112 (19%) confirmed they consider undergoing FGCS for themselves. Four hundred and ninety-eight (84.6%) participants thought that it's important to have access to support services, such as counseling or peer support, 471 (80%) expressed that it's important that healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia are knowledgeable about FGCS, 425 (72.2%) were concerned about the potential risks and complications of FGCS. Conclusion In conclusion, the current study revealed that nearly one out of five women were knowledgeable about FGCS, mainly about the nature and types of the procedure. Higher knowledge levels about FGCS were associated with younger age, higher educational levels, and women who were more likely to consider undergoing FGCS in the future.
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BACKGROUND: A global concern about a possible association between COVID-19 vaccines and menstrual disturbance has been raised. Moreover, women who have experienced menstrual changes are worried about the length of the side effects and are hesitant to receive booster doses. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on all features of the menstrual cycle, including cycle length, amount of bleeding, and pain. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively analyzed menstrual cycles following at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccines; the cycle changes within the individual pre-vaccination and post-vaccination were compared. All reproductive-aged females from 18 to 45 years who fit the inclusion criteria were included in the study and categorized into five sub-categories based on age to investigate whether certain age groups were most affected. The data were collected through a well-structured self-administered questionnaire. Participants obtained their vaccination information (date, type of vaccine) from Tawakkalna, the official COVID-19 application in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp was performed in data entry and statistical analysis. Variables were described as frequency and percentage, as all were categorical. To investigate the association between menstrual changes and its possible associated factors, we used the Chi-square test, and the statistical significance was determined at p<0.05. RESULTS: The online questionnaire received responses from a total of 1092 reproductive females. However, out of which, 419 were not fitting into the inclusion criteria. Thus, a total of 673 females were included in the final report. Overall, the changes in the menstrual cycles after both COVID-19 vaccine doses were observed among 46.7%, mainly more menstrual pain in 22.9% following the first dose compared with 21.4% after the second. Menstrual changes were observed among almost two-thirds of women in the age groups 18-22 years (65.2%) and 38-45 years (65.4%) compared with only 43.5% of those in the age group 23-27 years, p<0.001. The Moderna vaccine was associated with the highest rate of menstrual changes (65.4%), whereas Oxford-AstraZeneca was associated with the lowest rate (44.9%), p=0.040. The duration of changes in the cycles after the COVID-19 vaccine (one dose or both) was less than one month among 42.5% of females, whereas it was three months or more among 27.1%. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 vaccination is associated with a minor and transient change in the menstrual cycle, resulting mainly more menstrual pain and increased bleeding.
