‘Husband stitch’: The controversial after-birth suture that puts Nigerian women at risk

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Shattered, broken, traumatised, Faith has not been the same since she had her first child in 2023. “I will never have another child again. Childbirth damaged me permanently,” she said.

It all started when she realised she was pregnant in October 2022.

Having lost her mum to childbirth when she was barely four years old, Faith was intentional about having her first child. From researching helpful guides on pre- and post-pregnancy to reading the experiences of mothers on social media, she actively prepared for the big day. 

She wanted to do everything right, to rewrite her mother’s story.

However, nothing prepared her for her experience on April 23, 2023, when she eventually welcomed her child. A moment that was supposed to mark joy and fulfilment became the beginning of a haunting pain.

“I had a tear from my vagina down to my anus after delivery and had to be stitched. I was really screaming because the pain is out of this world,” she told DUBAWA, recounting her experience.

Faith said she initially thought it was normal stitching to fix the tears associated with vaginal delivery, but later realised it also included the ‘husband stitch,’ a procedure that involves making the vagina tighter for sexual intimacy. “When my husband came into the delivery room after the whole stitching, one of the midwives said to him, ‘Oh, we made it tighter for you,” she recalled.

The mother of one said the realisation worsened her postpartum trauma. She recounted how the pain in her vagina has persisted since childbirth, flaring up intermittently even though her son is now two-year-old. The recurring discomfort, she said, has taken both a physical and emotional toll on her.

“I think part of the trauma affected me to the extent that I couldn’t even produce breast milk. For over two weeks, I wasn’t able to walk,” Faith added.

Prioritising sexual pleasure over women’s safety

Husband stitch, also called daddy stitch or vagina knot, is 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. 

Odunola Abiola, a gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, explained that the procedure involves an additional stitch beyond the one a woman is supposed to have after a tear during vaginal delivery, although it is not medically approved.

“It is called husband stitch because it is often framed as for the husband’s pleasure. It is to narrow the vaginal opening for the husband’s pleasure during sex,” Caitlin LeMay, the executive director of the US End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Network, told DUBAWA.

While health officials who engage in it claimed that the procedure enhances sexual pleasure after childbirth, many women who underwent it countered the narrative. 

Faith explained that after the experience, her husband told her that her vagina did not get any tighter, undermining the very essence of the supposed procedure. 

“The first time we tried to have sex, it was really difficult—it wasn’t pleasurable at all. I think for me to have sex now, it would take a lot. Maybe I’d have to use lubricant or something, because I’m still traumatised,” she noted.

Other experiences

Hassana, a mother of five children in Kontagora, Niger state, also said the procedure worsened her sexual experience. “The pain is so much, and it has made me detest sex,” she noted.

DUBAWA’s findings revealed that in many cases, health officials administer the so-called “husband stitch” without the woman’s consent. 

“I wasn’t fully conscious when doctors put the husband stitch. I don’t know if they asked my husband for permission,” Hassana, who operates as a commercial pepper grinder, disclosed.

Our findings show that some women only become aware of the procedure afterwards, either when birth attendants mention it as a favour supposedly done for their benefit, or during conversations between health officials and their husbands.

An Ibadan-based lady, who pleaded anonymity, said the procedure takes advantage of women in their most vulnerable state. 

“No one asked me whether I wanted it or not; consent was not sought at all, but I remember the doctor said to me, ‘I made it tighter for your husband,’ with a smug smile on his face. At that point, I could not make sense of what he was saying because I was still in the labour ward. It was after everything that it all started to make sense to me,” she said.

Zainab, a woman based in Kaduna, also said her consent was not sought, but confessed her husband mentioned her vagina got tighter and “he enjoys sex even more.” She faulted the idea behind the husband stitch and argued that women’s consent should be sought before performing such a procedure on them.

Another woman, who told DUBAWA her consent was sought, said she did not like the eventual outcome. “I feel that as much as they do it for the husband’s pleasure, it shouldn’t be at that period in time,” she said.

Qudus Lawal, a consultant gynaecologist at Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo state, described the procedure as “a form of medical malpractice,” particularly when performed without a woman’s consent. He told DUBAWA that any medical procedure done without informed consent amounts to malpractice, regardless of the intent.

A major conversation over the procedure is the intent, which places the sexual satisfaction of men over the safety of women, despite global maternal death figures. According to a UNICEF report, Nigeria is among countries with “the highest risks” of maternal death, with one in 25 cases recorded. In spite of this disturbing reality, some health officials engage in husband stitch, a procedure considered medically unsafe and with no proven health benefit to women.

A 2024 report published by the International Continence Society (ICS) revealed that the husband stitch exposes women to health complications, including vulvar and vaginal pain, scarring, dyspareunia, and trauma. The report established that roughly 85% of births result in vaginal lacerations or episiotomy, leaving many women vulnerable to undergoing the “husband stitch.” It added that while repair of a tear or cut in the perineum may be medically necessary, an extra stitch, or “husband stitch,” has no documented medical benefit to the patient. 

“The whole idea of the husband’s stitch to me is barbaric. Why should there be an extra stitch because you feel like it will make sex pleasurable for you? What about the person who is feeling the pain? There’s no part of the husband’s stitch to me that should be okay,” Faith quipped, burning with rage.

“Anybody who administered it, who even thinks of it, should be arrested, and I’m saying without no prejudice that if I had known at that time, I know the steps I would have taken. However, since it’s been a long time, I’m no longer in that state. I will just maybe let it go, but one of the things I’m doing is to lend my voice, consent or not, husband stitch should not happen.”

‘It’s good for our oga’ – The narratives promoting husband stitch

Findings by DUBAWA revealed that many women who consented to the procedure did so, not for any medical benefit, but out of the belief that it would help them satisfy their husbands and preserve their marriages.

Videos and posts analysed on social media showed some women encouraging pregnant and expectant mothers to ensure they request the procedure from the health officials during delivery and brace the pain associated with it.

“Gree ooo, chop the pain, you’ll be fine. Mom to mom: better bear the pain and let your midwife give you husband stitches o,” a new mum was seen advising women in one of the videos.

In another video clip, Ononiwu Perpetual, who identified herself as a registered nurse, was heard advising women to request the procedure during childbirth, whether or not they experienced a vaginal tear.

“This is a secret. Whether you have a tear or not, just tell them to give you the husband stitch, so that the vagina becomes tighter. It is good for your oga (husband) to enjoy (sex) well.”

Speaking with DUBAWA, a lady who simply identified as Deborah, said she requested a husband stitch during childbirth and admitted that it comes with severe pains.

She, however, advised people to look at the ‘bigger gain.’ “It’s painful, I think it’s worth it, especially after healing,” she said. 

‘Husband stitch lacks scientific justification’

Speaking with DUBAWA, Dr Abiola described the “husband stitch” as a form of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and strongly condemned the practice. She explained that FGM has several classifications, and any form of genital alteration done for non-medical reasons, including the so-called “husband stitch,” falls under this category.

She said the procedure has “no scientific or clinical justification” and is not recognised in standard obstetric or gynaecological practice. “It is not part of the normal repair done after childbirth,” she noted. 

The gynaecologist and obstetrician said the idea behind it, which is to make sexual intercourse more pleasurable for the husband, is both unethical and medically baseless.

Dr Abiola warned that the practice can cause serious complications such as pain, scarring, and painful intercourse (dyspareunia), which defeats its supposed purpose. She added that since individuals heal differently, the procedure could even make sex uncomfortable or impossible for some women.

She further described the act as a form of obstetric violence and medical misconduct, stressing that it violates both local and international medical standards. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists frown at such practices. If you look at the potential harm that it causes, you would not encourage a patient to do that,” she said. 

Due to its potential health implications, she advised that no professional medical practitioner should perform the procedure under any circumstances.

Corroborating her, LeMay said husband stitch should be recognised and treated under the same legal framework that criminalises FGM since it constitutes “injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” 

She argued that husband stitch constitutes “a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence,” as it infringes on a “woman’s bodily autonomy and strips away her right to consent.”

The executive director of the US End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Network said that by intentionally altering a woman’s body for another person’s pleasure, the act becomes both violent and dehumanising. 

LeMay also canvassed global efforts to address FGM and close legislative gaps that allow practices like husband stitch to thrive.

Meanwhile, Section 6 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act of 2015 (VAPP Act) criminalises female genital mutilation. However, there is no specific indication of the husband stitch as a type of female genital mutilation under these laws, though health practitioners who spoke with DUBAWA said it could fall under Types III and IV of the FGM definition by WHO. 

Type 3 FGM (infibulation), according to the WHO, is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. “The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans,” the body explained. While Type 4 includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterising the genital area.

‘Husband stitch a myth, unnecessary’

Dr Lawal noted that there is no proven benefit of the husband stitch to improve sexual pleasure.  

“This procedure (husband stitch), in reality, is more of a myth than something that really works. It’s yet to be proven that it really helps to improve sexual intercourse,” he told DUBAWA.

The gynaecologist said that while some women may request the stitch to address vaginal laxity after childbirth, such tightening is often unnecessary. According to him, the body naturally heals over time, and the vagina typically regains sufficient tone for normal sexual activity without surgical intervention.

He advised women concerned about post-delivery changes to consult specialists such as female genital cosmetic surgeons, who are trained to perform safe and appropriate restorative procedures. 

Dr Lawal said after delivery, women can engage in pelvic floor exercises like Kegels, which strengthen the muscles around the vaginal outlet naturally and effectively. He warned that unnecessary tightening procedures often cause more harm than good.

“The procedure (husband stitch) can sometimes be counterproductive, meaning that you may end up making the patient have gynatresia, which means the vaginal outlet becomes too small for sexual intercourse,” he added.

‘Husband stitch a form of medical misogyny’

Dr. Idara Umoette, founder and CEO of Bedsafe Nigeria, a digital antenatal service supporting women across Nigeria and in more than 20 countries, said a husband’s stitch is a grave violation of medical ethics. 

The medical expert explained that the procedure constitutes “both medical malpractice and medical misogyny” since it has no legitimate medical basis and the fact that it is often carried out solely for the husband’s benefit and, in many cases, without the woman’s informed consent.

“When a woman, still trying to heal and come to terms with the changes in her body after childbirth, unknowingly has an extra suture inserted at the opening of her vagina simply to enhance her husband’s sexual pleasure, it crosses the line. It is unethical, it is exploitative, and it is an affront to medical ethics and womanhood,” she said.

Dr Umoette said medical professionals who perform it (husband stitch) can face disciplinary action from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), including “suspension or revocation of their licenses.”

She also explained that an affected patient has several avenues for redress. The Birthsafe Nigeria founder said the first step is to file a formal complaint with the MDCN, which reviews the case and decides on the appropriate disciplinary action. 

Beyond disciplinary measures, she noted that a victim can also seek financial compensation to cover the emotional and physical trauma experienced, especially if corrective surgery is required.

“Those are the three steps that she can take,”  she said.

‘Non-professionals administering husband stitch’ – SOGON

Reacting to DUBAWA’s findings, the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria (SOGON) stated that the husband stitch is not a practice employed by qualified medical professionals.

Dr Modupe Adedeji, secretary of the Lagos state chapter of the body, claimed such unethical procedures often arise from non-professionals or untrained birth attendants who operate outside medical standards but are, unfortunately, trusted by many within communities.

The gynaecologist-obstetrician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) explained that SOGON is currently discussing the role of traditional birth attendants in maternal care, particularly the limits of their involvement in managing pregnancies and deliveries. 

Dr Adedeji maintained that practices like the husband stitch most likely emerge from informal quarters rather than from licensed gynaecologists who understand the risks and implications of genital mutilation.

The gynaecologist-obstetrician, who also described the husband stitch as a form of FGM, said the procedure “betrays the ethics and integrity of medical practice.”

“How can a trained professional who fully understands the dangers of mutilation be the one to inflict it? At SOGON, we champion and guide the rights of women,” she said.

Meanwhile, the women interviewed by DUBAWA all had their children at accredited hospitals. However, when DUBAWA confronted hospital officials, they feigned ignorance. 

In the National Policy & Plan of Action for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria (2021-2025), the issue of medicalisation of FGM was addressed. The World Health Organisation had defined FGM medicalisation as the involvement of any category of health-care provider in the practice of FGM, whether in a public or a private clinic, at home or elsewhere. It also includes the procedure of reinfibulation at any point in a woman’s life. However, none of these documents made a specific reference to the concept of ‘husband stitch’.

From Faith to Hassana, husband stitch has inflicted years-long pain on many women during childbirth, and without any action taken, more women are at risk of facing a similar trauma. 

Will authorities take any action to stop the practice? Time will tell. 

When we presented our findings to the Federal Ministry of Health, officials appreciated the report and highlighted its potential to expand the ministry’s knowledge on the issue. However, they failed to respond when DUBAWA followed up.

Editor’s Note: “Faith” is not the interviewee’s real name. It has been used to protect her privacy.

Editing Credit:

Editor: Kemi Busari

Sub-editor: Lois Ugbede

Copy Editor: Simbiat Bakare

This story was commissioned by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and was first published by DUBAWA.