The removal of fatty tissue around the perineum
resulted in some women reporting a restriction in activities
which involved sitting down for long periods
(Andersen & Hacker 1983, Janda et al. 2004). This was
seen as having an impact on the careers of some women
(Janda et al. 2004).
Surgery in the vulval area also affected micturition. Several
studies reported that when the women passed urine, it was
described as a ‘spray’ or a stream with unpredictable
direction and little control (Andersen & Hacker 1983, Moth
et al. 1983). This difficulty resulted in dampened clothing or
leakage on to bathroom floors or carpets and resulted in the
women reducing their social activities (Andersen & Hacker
1983, Stellman et al. 1984, Janda et al. 2004, Likes et al.
2007).
Two studies reported the impact of the surgery on the
clothes that were worn. Likes et al. (2007) reported that
women who had unilateral surgery reported their underwear
fitting differently as one side of the vulva had been excised
and the other side remained intact. This was described as a
constant reminder of ‘not feeling whole’. One woman
reported that she had ‘given up wearing slacks for fear that
the absence of her vulva may be noticeable