Women are having drastic virginity repair surgeries on the NHS, according to new hospital figures.
Surgery to reconstruct the hymen, the thin covering of the vagina which is pierced during sex, takes about half an hour and costs at least £1,000 every time.
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At least 109 women have undergone the procedure in NHS hospitals between 2007 and 2017, but the real number is believed to be far greater.
Thats because only nine local NHS trusts responded to a Freedom of Information request asking for the data, with the rest refusing to reveal the information.
Experts believe women are having the operation after feeling guilt about their first time, and wanting to experience it again.
Harley Street relationship counsellor Louise Van der Velde said: A lot of people have a bad experience for their first time.
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Often its not what its meant to be, its meant to be a sacred thing and you never forget losing it.
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Maybe because people have been let down by that and it doesnt end up being what they want, they want to do it again.
Maybe they want to share it with their husbands by being as pure as possible again.
During the surgery, the hymen is either stitched or reconstructed, allowing it to tear and bleed again the next time the woman has sex.
Of the women known to have had the procedure, 81% were single – 23 said they had no religion, 15 identified as Christian, eight as Church of England and two as Muslim.
Most procedures were carried out at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, which has done 50 since 2012, but did not provide figures for the cost.
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Meanwhile, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital performed 12 of the operations since 2013 at a cost of £12,727.32, while the North Bristol NHS Trust spent £11,950 on an unknown number of surgeries.
Under health authority rules, women can have the operations for psychological as well as physical reasons.
They are also available at private clinics in London, which charge up to £4,000 for the surgery.
More: UK
Dr Naomi Crouch, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: There is a lack of reliable evidence about the clinical effectiveness and risks of FGCS (female genital cosmetic surgery), and there is no medical indication for these operations to be carried out.
It is important that clinicians inform and reassure women and girls about variations in female genitalia, thoroughly explore the reasons behind the request for FGCS, and advise on the management of physical symptoms rather than suggesting surgery as an option.
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