Demographic characteristics and self-reported motivations of women undergoing genital aesthetic surgery: A descriptive cohort of 927 patients in Turkey (2017-2024).

Abstract

ObjectiveGenital aesthetic surgery, within the broader domain of female genital cosmetic surgery, has become increasingly visible in clinical practice. However, descriptive data on patient characteristics and self-reported motivations remain limited. This study describes the demographic profile, psychosocial context, motivations, and procedural patterns among women undergoing genital aesthetic surgery in Turkey.MethodsThis descriptive cohort included 927 consecutive women who underwent genital aesthetic surgery between 2017 and 2024. Data were collected during clinical evaluation using a structured questionnaire and medical records, including lifestyle factors, partner-related decision context, psychiatric history markers, motivations, procedure type, and post-treatment status. Analyses were purely descriptive, with continuous variables reported as mean ± SD and median.ResultsThe mean age was 42.0 ± 12.4 years, and 62.4% were married. Educational attainment most commonly reflected an associate degree (45.5%). Current smoking was reported by 629 of 927 participants (67.9%), alcohol use by 32.4%, and a history of prior cosmetic surgery by 33.1%. A psychiatric diagnosis was documented in 10.0%, and psychiatric medication use in 11.4%. Partner involvement was frequent: 64.2% presented at their spouse's request; decisions were self-driven in 53.0%, partner-driven in 32.6%, and joint in 14.5%. The most commonly endorsed motivations were personal aesthetic concern (63.0%) and relationship anxiety/relationship repair (38.0%). The most frequent procedures were perineoplasty + vaginoplasty (24.3%). Recorded post-treatment status was categorized as successful in 76.9%, with wound-healing problems (9.8%) and unrealistic expectations (6.0%) among the most common nonsuccess categories.ConclusionIn this large descriptive cohort, genital aesthetic surgery was commonly pursued in mid-adulthood and often occurred within partner-related decision-making contexts, with motivations frequently spanning aesthetic, relational, and functional domains. These findings support the clinical importance of autonomy-sensitive counseling, expectation management, and structured psychosocial documentation in routine genital aesthetic surgery care.