The “Husband Stitch” is the name given to an additional suture or series of sutures placed when repairing a vaginal laceration or episiotomy after childbirth, often with the purpose of tightening the vaginal introitus for the male partner’s sexual pleasure. Roughly 85% of births result in vaginal lacerations or episiotomy, leaving many women vulnerable to undergoing the Husband Stitch. While repair of a tear or cut in the perineum may be medically necessary, an extra stitch, or “Husband Stitch” has no medical benefit to the patient. Women have spoken out about undergoing this procedure without their consent and the health complications they have faced, including vulvar and vaginal pain, scarring, dyspareunia, and trauma. Despite robust anecdotal evidence, there is a paucity of research on the “Husband Stitch,” particularly on the patient’s perspective. The goal of this study is to advance knowledge about this practice and elucidate experiences, health impacts, and social implications of undergoing this procedure.

Ongoing data collection includes IRB-approved, semi-structured interviews with individuals 18 years or older who self-identify as having undergone the Husband Stitch without their consent. Participants are recruited from community forums for mothers, parenting classes and associations, and women’s health centers and shelters using a short questionnaire to determine eligibility. Interview questions were developed to address gaps in knowledge of the “Husband Stitch.” The interview script is divided into three sections: 1) the participant’s memory of the Husband Stitch, 2) their perception of the procedure they underwent, and 3) the health and social impact of the Husband Stitch. Interviews are recorded using Zoom, and an automatic transcription is generated. The transcription is uploaded to NVivo and closely read for codes, which will be grouped into themes and interpreted for larger meanings. Each interview will be analyzed prior to the subsequent interview. Recruitment and interviews will continue until saturation is reached.

Patient histories: Preliminary findings are reported from interviews with two participants who underwent the “Husband Stitch” in Wisconsin and Florida in 1992 and 2015, respectively. The language that the obstetrician used to describe the procedure made it clear to the participants that an additional stitch had been placed following delivery as a “favor” to their husbands. 

Health Impacts: The participants experienced varying health complications. Interviewee #1 has introital dyspareunia which has worsened in recent years with menopause. Interviewee #2 experienced a short-term complication of severe perineal pain two days postpartum and a long-term birth complication of vaginal prolapse. Participants were told that their postpartum pain and dyspareunia could not be treated.

Social Implications: Both participants are opposed to continuation of the “Husband Stitch” and report feelings of “shame”, helplessness, and “disgust” towards what happened to them. Neither of the women have shared their experience with members of their social network aside from their husbands.

This study reveals that the nonconsensual “Husband Stitch” has been performed in the United States as recently as 2015. This procedure has serious negative health consequences, including dyspareunia and vaginal prolapse. There is a lack of treatment options for health consequences resulting from the Husband Stitch. The women expressed social isolation, and while they have not been diagnosed with mental health disorders, expressions of shame and helplessness are DSM-5-TR criteria for depressive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders, raising concern for mental health consequences that may result from the “Husband Stitch.”

Nonconsensual practice of the “Husband Stitch” is an understudied practice that is medically unnecessary and associated with negative social and health consequences. Research findings will be used to inform prevention strategies and improve supportive services for women who have undergone the Husband Stitch without their consent. Data collection is ongoing to better study these implications in a larger population.