Gender Equality

As urologists, we have participated in perhaps the most common but controversial procedure on the planet - circumcision of the penis. While many of these procedures are performed according to religious tradition, many other patients are electing to have the procedure performed for reasons of cosmesis and improved hygiene. Men are allowed in Western society to alter the appearance of their genitalia, while women are asked to deal with body image difficulty related to their genitalia, without societal approval of aesthetic repair. Women who have experienced multiple deliveries are asked to live with changes in their vaginas related to birth injury, no matter how severe. Despite the success of vaginal reconstruction, patients are not typically offered this procedure by their gynecologists. This is 2008 and there are effective and satisfactory treatments operations offered by ultra-specialized surgeons.