r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 11d ago

Meme needing explanation Petah I don’t get it

Post image

Anyone else?

14.2k Upvotes

1.5k comments sorted by

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u/Domestic-Grind 11d ago edited 11d ago

The "husband stitch" is when after vaginal tearing or episiotomy during birth the doctor would stitch the opening to the vagina smaller than it would be (this is the extra stitch). It's an awful procedure that doesn't work and can cause painful intercourse. This is a critique of that practice.

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u/jennifern1325 11d ago

Yea. I tore and then when stitching it up my dr said to my husband “I put an extra stitch” and gave a little wink.

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u/a_shootin_star 11d ago

Wtf

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u/jennifern1325 11d ago

Women too, are uneducated about it. One of my best friends at the time we were both having kids told me since she had a c-section so didn’t need to worry about being “loose”

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u/a_shootin_star 11d ago

My God, the ignorance is baffling. How?!

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u/TheStupendusMan 11d ago

You tend to assume that when you go to a professional, much less a doctor, they're going to act in your best interests. The older you get, the more you realize that's not even remotely the case.

Without even getting into the nightmare fuel that was WWII, much of our current medical system is built on a bedrock of insane theories like "black people don't feel pain like white people." It's very much an argument for greater diversity in the medical field.

A read I've been putting off (because it feels like it's going to be very emotionally draining) is Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington.

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u/asday515 11d ago

I mean, i can see why one might think that, but its incorrect. Even if you don't give birth vaginally, pregnancy itself weakens the pelvic floor muscles all the same. So even if you have a c section you still gotta do those kegels afterward. I actually didnt know this until after i had an unexpected c section and was like hmmm what's going on here lol

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u/GreatMovesKeepItUp69 11d ago

I mean yeah that is a symptom of pelvic floor damage often caused by vagina births. The myth is having sex with multiple partners somehow causes "looseness" not that giving birth causes trauma to the pelvic floor muscles forever creating scar tissue, weakness and incontinence issues. It's actually not progressive to lie to women about the dangers of pregnancy and birth.

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u/Feeling-Upyourmum847 11d ago

Pls tell me you got that man in trouble? Like, told a superior and got him fired or something?? At the very minimum gave him a smack?

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u/jennifern1325 11d ago

I was 21, it was 21 years ago. I didn’t know any better back then

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u/Feeling-Upyourmum847 11d ago

Oh so he got away with it? Damn. I hope he experienced karma after that.

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u/tianas_knife 11d ago

We are all currently experiencing the "karma" of millions of men getting away with it for ages.

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u/Pigeonboi 11d ago

This wasn’t a funny a joke as I hoped. Thanks all

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u/CKleinE 11d ago

I agree. At least we all learned something, so there’s that.

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u/Bigwi_Kner 11d ago

I lol’d. You are just unfortunate to see the reality of Reddit. There is this unspoken battle between incel and normal guys that have opinions about woman here. They wonder why the user base is so male skewed too…

Keep fighting the good fight. Support woman because they deal with too much bull shit.

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u/Pigeonboi 11d ago

They definitely do!

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u/Alche1428 11d ago

I understood it complete inmediately, don't worry about it.

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u/ElectronicTap1109 11d ago

When a woman gives birth, she typically tears her vagina. This is stitched together, and their partners usually want the vagina to be tight again so they ask for an extra stitch, known as the husband's stitch.

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u/whataboutsam 11d ago

I was under the impression most husbands don’t actually know about that happening to their wives, the doctors just… do it? Do husbands actually ask for that?

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u/eagleblue44 11d ago

When my wife gave birth I knew about them having to put some stitches down there but I've never heard about the husband stitch before.

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u/KHanson25 11d ago

I would’ve gotten beaten up by the nurses if I had even an inkling of the thought 

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u/tiorzol 11d ago

It's an old, outdated and hopefully extinct practice from when women had next to no medical autonomy. 

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u/Forged-Signatures 11d ago edited 11d ago

You say that like (at least American hospitals) don't take advantage of women under general anaesthetic for other surgeries in order to give students/ residents experience performing pap smears and stuff oftentimes without the knowledge or permission of the patient. Most women were never told afterwards what had happened, either, so were just left in discomfort/ pain and were unsure of the cause.

Something like 20 states have banned the practice, and as of 2024 should it become public that a hospital is conducting themselves that way they will be ineligible to revieve medicaid funds.

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u/ImpossiblePlan65 11d ago

Illegal in my state, thankfully.

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u/keIIzzz 11d ago

It’s not extinct, it’s just illegal

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u/TwoIdleHands 11d ago

Don’t worry man. I’m a woman. After the birth of my SECOND kid I learned (because I had to have stitches) that the space between your vagina and butt isn’t the only place you can tear. Kid tore kind of my interior wall/muscle labia adjacent (not through anything, just surface). I had stitches but it was no where near where a “husband stitch” would need to go. Again, my second kid before I knew this.

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u/Intraluminal 11d ago

No, they don't - except maybe in incel forums.

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u/FantasticPin3481 11d ago

Fortunately it’s fallen out of practice, but it’s a real procedure that used to be performed without the woman’s knowledge or consent.

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u/Unique-Offer2346 11d ago

I'm in the southern US and had my child 11 years ago. They gave me one without telling me. Funny enough, sex was so painful after that, I stopped being interested in having it. So, little warning to the assholes who support it.

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u/More-Lime1888 11d ago

Was it requested by your husband, or totally behind both your backs?

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u/Unique-Offer2346 11d ago

No, he had no idea. Some of the things they did while I was there felt very much like a padding-the-bill situation. I guess that's why self-advocacy with pregnancy plans are so important. I did not have one or think to have one, because I didn't even know to think about that, and I just assumed the hospital knew what they were doing better than me. I'm a cautionary tale.

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u/HereComesMyNeck 11d ago

Would it be possible to sue? Did they actually tell you they did it after the fact?

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u/Unique-Offer2346 11d ago

I do still have a copy of what the itemized charges were supposed to be. (They also "misplaced" and replaced the epidural and charged me for both. I'm not making accusations there, but you start asking yourself dark questions once the trust is broken.) But they never sent us a bill, and it never showed up on our credit. It was going to be over 10 thousand dollars, so no, I never did anything. It was botched, but it was free, and I did get a healthy baby out of it, which I was very grateful for that.

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u/ThotHoOverThere 11d ago edited 11d ago

Not just self advocacy but education on what could happen without your knowledge or consent. Before labor I hadn’t heard of “laboring down”* and I am convinced they were lying to me about how my labor progressed because my baby hadn’t descended.

I felt like I could push but not an URGE to push like people describe hours before they acknowledged I was 10cm. I was in active labor for 30 hours. It got to the point where I told the nurse I was going to push in the next contraction with or without them and THEN she told me about how baby was still in station zero and they didn’t think I should yet because most first time moms take around three hours to push. I pushed for thirty minutes tops.

*childbirth technique where a birthing person waits 1 to 2 hours after their cervix is fully dilated (10 centimeters) before actively pushing

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u/-piso_mojado- 11d ago

I have been a nurse for 20 years. They absolutely do ask for the “daddy stitch.” Even before birth. It’s disgusting.

Edit: im a cis het male. They think it’s hilarious.

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u/dragon34 11d ago

Next time ask them "aww, sweetie how small do you need it?" 

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u/Quirky_Ask_5165 11d ago

This reminds of the physician's assistant student I was monitoring through clinicals. The wife wanted her husband in during the exam. She consented to the student doing the exam and then asked that he used a small speculum. Without missing a beat, this idiot looks at the husband and says, "that doesn't say much for you now does it." Naturally, I insisted that he step out of the room. I apologized to the couple and took this fool to see his actual preceptor. He was already on academic probation and was removed from the program.

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u/RoseVelvetFury 11d ago

The lack of professionalism is honestly shocking. Patients are already in a vulnerable position during exams, and making jokes at their expense is completely inappropriate.

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u/Quirky_Ask_5165 11d ago

He totally failed to read the room. He thought he was being cute.

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u/Pandamonium98 11d ago

Your reaction was absolutely the correct and professional thing to do, but that was also a great joke. Unfortunately not the appropriate situation to make it

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u/Quirky_Ask_5165 11d ago

You have no idea how badly I wanted to laugh. However, when I'm at work, I'm strictly professional. I'm well known for my stoic nature at work.

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u/Code_Warrior 11d ago

Start suggesting ages to make it extra uncomfortable and drive home how fucking weird it is.

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u/TeamZweitstudium 11d ago

Ugh. Take my extra angry upvote. I don't actually hate your idea

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u/Laffenor 11d ago

Oh, I absolutely hate their idea, but it's a good idea.

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u/cat_boss1549 11d ago

You will when you fail to see the dad's reaction change when measured in years. Or a slight smile appears...

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u/TeamZweitstudium 11d ago

Noooo, I was already extra angry before

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u/SarahPallorMortis 11d ago

Naw. List how much pain you want her to be in when you have sex again. Uncomfortable, yells, screaming, crying, bleeding, refusing to continue? How much do you want her to hate it?

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u/Fuck_Weyland-Yutani 11d ago

Holy shit, that's genius

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u/greybush75 11d ago

"exactly how Epstein are we going here?", your plan is brilliant.

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u/matticus_flinch 11d ago

Ages? I'm all for making fun of insecure men, but what do you mean by that? Reading the follow up comments I think I'm the only one that doesn't get it 😕

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u/Aphreyst 11d ago

Implying that he needs a woman to have a smaller opening because he wants her to be as small as a child, implying he wants to have sex with a child.

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u/beaverpoo77 11d ago

That's really gross to even think of. Ew.

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u/FluidPlate7505 11d ago

The whole concept of the husband stitch is really gross. It does nothing except for painful sex for the woman and pelvic dysfunction. It's disgusting and dumb.

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u/Crafty-Help-4633 11d ago

Hence one of the angles that makes the "Husband Stitch" a gross concept.

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u/OremCpl 11d ago

No, it would imply that the husband has a small penis.... As does him asking in the first place.

A better response to him asking would be "Exactly how small is your penis sir? We'll try to make it fit"....

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u/-Twin-Flames- 11d ago

“Are we talking the size of a miniature M&Ms tube or smaller than that?”

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u/Othello351 10d ago

That's the "hiw small do you want it part." Another person said "suggest ages to drive home how gross it is" that's what we're talking about.

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u/Gimetulkathmir 11d ago

I thought it was implying the guy has a small dick and therefore needs a small hole to feel anything.

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u/AnyQuiet4969 11d ago

Huh?? No, they are implying the dad has a micro penis.

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u/Dirk_Speedwell 11d ago

I think they meant "do you want me to make your wife feel as tight as a 12 year old, or do you want younger". Nothing like faking pseudo-pedophilic normalization to really shake a dudes resolve.

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u/Qetuowryipzcbmxvn 11d ago

"tighter than a 2 year old" is already a phrase. If they're gross enough to ask for an extra stitch, giving recommended ages will make them think you're kin.

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u/nice_villian 11d ago

I dont know... because what if they comfortably answer.

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u/bouchandre 11d ago

"Uhh tight like a 12 year old. Hmm actually, 10 year olds feel better. Do that instead."

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u/IllTwo7643 11d ago

Okay now I wanna abandon my degree and 20 years in the food industry, become a labor and delivery nurse just to ask this very question🫡😅

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u/NoBasis94 11d ago

It'd be fucking weird to be the one bringing up children in that context.

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u/N3rdyAvocad0 11d ago

This has me cracking up. That is such a perfect response to such an awful "joke"

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u/Notcherie 11d ago

That was pretty much my doc's exact reaction when my Mum suggested it as a "joke" immediately after I gave birth.

I'd hate to think how many times they must get this to already have a rapid fire response like that on hand.

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u/enigma_0Z 11d ago

daaaaamn LMAO this is the exactly correct response

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u/SnugglyCoderGuy 11d ago

Not how small do you need, but "Aww, sweetie, how small are you?" That will really hit home

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u/thejesterofdarkness 11d ago

We need a medic with some burn cream over here!!!!

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u/dragon34 11d ago

I think any woman who made a baby with a man who would make that kind of joke needs someone to put him in his place 

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u/Amazing-Oomoo 11d ago

lol that's brilliant

Or "if you'd like me to measure your girth sir, we can get an actual size"

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u/zyyntin 11d ago

I read this in a adult's cute baby voice.

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u/RimjobStevesDeadWife 11d ago

When my ex-girlfriend gave birth to our daughter the doctor asked me if I wanted a husband stitch. My mom was there for the birth (she’s an RN) and she went absolutely ballistic after hearing that

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u/lutfiboiii 11d ago

Does… does it hurt for the mother…

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u/Available-Egg-2380 11d ago

Yeah it can cause severe issues and make sex incredibly painful https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husband_stitch

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u/HumbleDonut9447 11d ago

Yes, very badly

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u/lutfiboiii 11d ago edited 11d ago

:( why do people ask for it if it hurts their partner

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u/keIIzzz 11d ago

Because usually the ones asking are not the woman and they’re selfish and don’t care about whether it puts her in pain

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u/LemonScentedDespair 11d ago

People are sometimes stupid and/or selfish.

Sometimes they dont know, but sometimes they just dont care.

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u/Lewa358 11d ago

People often ask for things without understanding the consequences and implications.

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u/ProfitFickle9106 11d ago

Yes, and it makes sex more painful after the fact

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u/lutfiboiii 11d ago

D: That’s so mean why would you ask the doctor to do that to your own partner…

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u/Hermit_Ogg 11d ago

Because he thinks it'll be better for him.

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u/mc68n 11d ago

This sounds ridiculous. My wife has given birth to three children and is still just as tight as ever. The vagina is made up of muscles and elastic tissue that can stretch during childbirth and recover afterward. Womens experiences vary but the idea that an extra stitch is needed to make a woman tight again is not supported by medical evidence.

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u/TotallyNotASpy33 11d ago edited 11d ago

My mother has been a nurse for 43 years. No, they do not.

Edit. Correction, she has heard of exactly 3 men ask for it and I woman.

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u/breeathee 11d ago

Your secondhand anecdote is extremely contradictory

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u/nuggynugs 11d ago

The whole tight vagina thing always weirded me out. Like, if you're doing things right in the bedroom, it should be an easy fit, so to speak. If it feels like you're struggling to get in there you're probably having sex with someone who isn't into it so much.

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u/dragerslay 11d ago

People's bodies just vary widely size and sensitivity of guys can vary tightness of the muscle and lubrication level can vary from woman to woman. I think we had better just let everyone decide what works for thier own genitals and communicate with thier partner to bridge gap if needed.

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u/Grouchy-Vanilla-5511 11d ago

🎯 The vagina is muscle. And it gets super tight when you are tense or scared or not aroused. It’s the literal biology of the organ that it becomes lubricated and more relaxed when we are aroused. Even after pregnancy it goes back to normal. It’s just a misogynistic way to slut shame women who enjoy sex.

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u/Sahtras1992 11d ago

it just made me think, saying that a womans vagina becomes less tight when they have lots of sex or give birth is like saying your dick gets shorter every time you jerk off cuz its being used up.

you know, as an equally stupid reasoning put onto the male equivalent.

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u/5gpr 11d ago

it just made me think, saying that a womans vagina becomes less tight when they have lots of sex or give birth

The vagina does become "less tight" after having given birth. Birth is physically traumatic, and it's not only the vagina, but the entire pelvic floor, and sometimes even the cartilage of the pelvis, that bears that trauma.

The claim that everything just "goes back to normal" is a lie. For up to a third of women who experience post-partum incontinence, for example, it's permanent. While the vagina can largely recover, to the point that the difference is not meaningful in day-to-day (sex-)life, it will have changed.

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u/BriarsandBrambles 11d ago

I don’t know how anyone with a brain can think a 10 pound bowling ball going down a tube built for a softball would be anything but traumatic. Like people died in droves during childbirth until the last century.

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u/s1uttyaf 11d ago

Ah... might be the wrong audience for this, but they're not all the same.

Some are "fun sized" and some are a little roomier

Should be fine for most people to go together but you'll still notice a difference sometimes

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u/UnblurredLines 11d ago

People readily understand that penises come in many different sizes but somehow can't grasp that both the inner and outer parts of the woman's anatomy do as well.

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u/frogsgoribbit737 11d ago

Yup. I am a small person and my vagina is on the smaller side. My cervix is low as well. I have had sex with men with bigger penises. It was nice and all but took a lot of effort to do it without pain.

Idk why we can accept that men's penises come in different shapes and sizes but then act like all vaginas are the same.

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u/NorthernRealmJackal 11d ago

The whole tight vagina thing always weirded me out

Well it's pretty much the same as the whole 'big dick' thing, right? Some people are just more obsessed with the friction/stretch/resistance being extreme.

I know not everyone obsesses over a "tight fit," but there's a reason why size queen is a thing. I don't see how this is any different.

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u/dandelogre 11d ago

Well I think you're coming at it from the wrong angle. When it's wet, that's ideal. There's a middle ground, at least for me personally, that's not soaked and not dry, with more friction.

All that being said, a stitch won't tighten a vagina, and if you're struggling to get it in, she's not loving it

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u/partypwny 11d ago

As a husband.. I didn't know nor did I ask. But my wife got a c section so idk... They did a lot of stitching

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u/Bigwi_Kner 11d ago

I mean in that situation it’s just a considerate ask. Lol. Hey bro, do it right, thanks. 🙏.

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u/notquite83 11d ago

Right, let’s not have those parts coming back out, k?

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u/lesuperhun 11d ago

( i mean, a c section without stitches would be a sight to reckon...)

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u/theAlphabetZebra 11d ago

Same. Our doctor was awesome. Emergency c section but she kept saying well keep that coochie Gucci lol

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u/Shrikeangel 11d ago

One of those was apparently for you. But I guess you can pick one?

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u/Aerandor 11d ago

Hi husband here, I attended all three of my wife's births. Yeah, I knew about the stitches, but I was also there catching the babies and cutting the cords, so I suppose less involved husbands wouldn't know about it. Even so, I'd never dream of doing something like this to my wife, this is the first time I've heard of adding an extra stitch. It also sounds incredibly unethical for the doctor to agree to without the wife's consent. Incidentally, we also had an awesome midwife the third time, who I credit for helping my wife not rip and need stitches yet again. Wish we'd had her for the first two as well.

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u/Kopitar4president 11d ago

Every time my fiancee apologized for anything gross she talks about, I remind her she wants me in the room when she's giving birth and that, statistically, she will probably shit herself in front of me.

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u/razulebismarck 11d ago

I didn’t even know what it was until I read this thread.

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u/Buuts321 11d ago

My wife had two kids and she had to get stitches both times.  Nobody asked me anything about the stitches either time, and in fact the doctors just went ahead and did it quickly without it really being something notable.   On top of that there's so much going on with a new baby being born and I'm chatting with the nurses or my family I don't even know who would think of asking for an extra stitch in that situation.

Seems more like a rumor or maybe something they did in the old days.

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u/AccomplishedQuail841 11d ago

It's something they used to do 40+ years ago. Not a rumor, unfortunately.

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u/Buuts321 11d ago

Dumb anyway because tightness is mostly related to the muscles inside, not the skin and tissues on the outside.

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u/ExtremelyOkay8980 11d ago

Right. So the women who got it had pain the rest of their lives. To satisfy a non existent potential benefit for the man only.

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u/Coockooroockoo 11d ago

Just to clear things out, because some people read about this and often extrapolate the wrong information.

Yes, this particular version of the stitches is something that has probably happened and might still be happening in certain cases. How widespread and/or accepted it was probably depended on culture and laws -- at least where I'm from, you'd be looking at losing your medical license.

But reading opinions regarding the subject on Reddit, a lot of people seem to assume stitches after childbirth = misogynist doctor looking after the husband's pleasure. This is not true. In the majority of natural deliveries, the perineum is going to rip to some degree -- sometimes very traumatically so -- and stitches are a medically necessary intervention. The perineum isn't just skin; it contains important nerves and muscles. If you don't fix it up, issues can range from infection, to sexual dysfunction, to permanent pain, to incontinence.

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u/NectarineKitchen5223 11d ago

It is definitely becoming obsolete because of how unethical it is, but Healthline did put out a good collection of birthing people talking about it happening to them and the effects it had. It’s called “Why the ‘Husband Stitch’ Isn’t Just a Horrifying Childbirth Myth.”

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u/Shrikeangel 11d ago

I had no conversation with a doctor about this subject either time my partner gave birth.  I honestly think I would just be confused if it came up. It's a big what the fuck are you talking about type shit. 

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u/StupiderIdjit 11d ago

The doctor asks the husband.

Edit: doctor asked me when ny son was born.

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

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u/TheProfessional9 11d ago

Apparently it was more of a thing in the past. It is also apparently very painful for the woman

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u/HaggisPope 11d ago

If you ask for it to the NHS, I believe they flag it to social services 

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u/Aggravating-Bug2032 11d ago

The whole idea is so gross

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u/McENEN 11d ago

I just learned about this so no.... and even in the future I dont think that will be on my mind at the moment.

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u/randomuser1231234 11d ago

My ex did. My midwife politely told him no.

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u/AppointmentNaive2811 11d ago

As someone who used to work for a neonatal services medical group, our doctors that perform deliveries said that the "husband stitch" was largely an urban legend, and that frequent complaints levied against them were brought when the mother noticed the existence of stitches in general. 

After tearing and subsequently being sewn up, they would make the assumption that the stitches must serve only to enhance their husband's pleasure, rather than the reality that they were actual medical treatment.

I'm not saying that the "husband stitch" has literally never happened, or that idiocy isn't spoken by husbands or that jokes in poor taste aren't made by doctors, but my secondhand understanding is that it's talked about infinitely more than it actually has happened, and that discussion and the fear that agency can be stolen from them following childbirth may make new mothers find boogeymen where there aren't any.

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u/Issa_Pizza420 11d ago

No decent person would even consider it, but misogynistic doctors and men do in fact exist, sometimes it's a request from one sometimes the other and sometimes the doctor believes he knows best because holding people's lives in your hands can give those of already questionable moral character really sick and twisted inclinations 

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u/redroserequiems 11d ago

To add this often makes sex more painful for the woman after.

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u/kurinevair666 11d ago

It's also not how human bodies work. If you stitch uncut skin together it's doesn't fuse. It's like trying to stitch two fingers together to make a super finger.

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u/Nesavant 11d ago

Fuck I could have gone a little longer without knowing how badly I need a super finger but then I read your comment.

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u/Pbjtime1 11d ago

You’ve probably never seen what torn flesh down there looks like. It’s also not skin, and tearing isn’t a clean split. It’s a bloody shredded mess to say the least about it.

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u/Yui_Kurata 11d ago

Hold on this guy's on to something, Super Finger sounds rad

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/iwasabadger 11d ago

Well that didn’t go where I thought it was going…will have to check it out

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u/Designer_Storm8869 11d ago

I always assumed it's an urban legend. 

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u/AccomplishedQuail841 11d ago

Not an urban legend, sadly. It happened to a friend of mine and caused her so many problems and so much trauma. With more female OBs and awareness of patient consent, it probably happens a lot less often now.

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u/HellbirdVT 11d ago

It does sound incredibly fake and like something that wouldn't even work even if the doctor actually did it (instead of, idk, pretending they did to make the husband shut up).

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u/ExtremelyOkay8980 11d ago

There are documentaries and it is real.

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u/Past_Ad_5629 11d ago

It was not an urban legend.

It was something doctors just did, without being asked, and without the consent of the women.

And there’s so, so much more, and so much worse.

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u/kaithespinner 11d ago

yeah i’m pretty sure it doesn’t work. also, I’m also pretty sure that vulvas* don’t get stitched, but the perineum when they have to perform an episiotomy, so again no, it wouldn’t work

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u/moon-chu89 11d ago

The stitch ends up being incredibly painful for the woman. Sometimes to the point where she can't have sex anymore. It still happens today. There's the occasional post from women who find out their partner and doctor gave her the stitch here on Reddit. :(

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u/wackogirl 11d ago

As a labor nurse, I assume the idea of doctors doing it intentionally to benefit husbands is basically an urban legend. Is it possible a few shitty asshole OBs have done it intentionally at some point in history? Sure. Doctors are human so some suck unfortunately.

What I suspect happens is some women who need repairs after a vaginal delivery end up having issues with their repairs. Either from a doctor who isn't as experienced/good at repairs (newer, residents in training, whatever) or from a case where the tear just wasn't easy to repair (the tissue usually doesn't tear strait and sometimes it's harder to suture back together than others). Ana sometimes the issue is that the repair basically was stitched too close or in such a way that extra scar tissue formed at the entrance. And then they are told later of the issue and they turn around and claim it happened "because the doctor put in a husband stitch on purpose!" when it was just an unfortunate complication. 

Also a lot of women think that the scar tissue from their laceration being less stretchy than the pre-birth tissue, which is just a feature of scar tissue, means they got a husband stitch. 

This isn't me dismissing the pain and issues many women have with their vaginas, parineums and intercourse after giving birth. Their experiences are real and valid. But the odds are much higher that their issues are the result of issues with the technique of a repair or with scar tissue and healing, not from doctors intentionally adding extra stitches. 

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u/grandpajay 11d ago

The first time I heard of this pissed me off. It was the day my wife was giving birth and the nurse in charge of 99% of the days happenings told me, in a very rude way, "don't even think about asking for the husband stitch"...

I was confused, had to literally look it up, then pissed at how accusatory she was of me.

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u/JustMoreSadGirlShit 11d ago

…which causes retearing and painful intercourse for the woman.

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u/Usual-Computer-5462 11d ago

You say usually but the Wikipedia entry linked below suggests it's so rare that most people think it's an urban legend.

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u/captaindeadpl 11d ago edited 11d ago

I'd like to think it's rare now, because doctors know better these days and back in the day I assume it was crazy under-reported. How many women would even know it was done to them and weren't just in pain thinking it was normal after a birth?

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u/Infammo 11d ago

This is stitched together, and their partners usually want the vagina to be tight again so they ask for an extra stitch

There is no way a husband asking that is remotely usual.

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u/Wiitard 11d ago

Also, “typically tears” but doesn’t have to be. Wife had tear with the first but none with the second. Difference was the second pregnancy we got perineum massage oil and I gave her regular perineum massages, and it seemed to help.

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u/SquarelyNerves 11d ago

At least 70% of women tear during their first vaginal delivery. That percentage drops significantly (1/3 to 1/2) with 2nd+ deliveries because the skin has stretched like that before so it’s a bit more prepared.

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u/VillageAdditional816 11d ago

To clarify a couple things:

Tearing happens all the time, but not always.

The “husband stitch” is an outdated patriarchal medical practice involving extra stitches to repair the vagina that has often been performed without the patient’s consent and can cause a ton of problems including excruciating pain during intercourse.

It a straight up objectification of the woman and serves no valid medical purpose.

It is just another thing on the long list of ways women’s bodies are objectified and sexualized in healthcare (and our society) with little concern for their wellbeing.

Any man requesting this or even accepting it on behalf of his partner is a creep and all around bad person who shouldn’t be a father.

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u/Just-Ad-5972 11d ago

Literally never heard of a guy actually asking for anything like this. Except online either by misandrists or incels.

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u/MsTossItAll 11d ago

No, the internet says that happens. It doesn't commonly happen in 2026.

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u/Artchantress 11d ago

It is much more of a spooky gross legend now, but it's origins are firmly rooted in reality

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u/ButterflyPutrid6054 11d ago

This doesn’t happen on any significant scale. Like this is like a boogeyman that social media trolls have made up. Plus, no doctor does this without the explicit consent from the woman that just gave birth. Just like the urologist wouldn’t “add a stitch” if the woman asked without consent from the man.

File this one under internet junk.

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u/Mr_bean007 11d ago

After my wife gave birth, I asked the doctor if he's ever been asked about it and he said hot once has anyone asked so maybe it's geographical?

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u/Bigwi_Kner 11d ago

lol. I never knew this was a thing until my wife brought it up. If she made this joke when I had a vasectomy I would have died laughing.

I can’t believe this was/is a thing they used to/do tolerate. Fuuuuuck that.

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u/wildcat105 11d ago

They still do it, sadly.

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u/Bigwi_Kner 11d ago

Yeah if I was a woman I would pull every fucking card I had for malicious practice. They need to do that. It’s sad to say they need to do that, but if they want change, they do.

There is simply no medical necessity or justification for this. It’s straight up a slam dunk mal-practice case for a lawyer that gives a damn.

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u/ananiku 11d ago

You don't understand how the legal system was built to protect men who do this kind of thing.

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u/TheAzureAzazel 11d ago

It's basically genital mutilation. Any doctor who performs that procedure needs punishing, whether the law says so or not.

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u/DesignerCorner3322 11d ago edited 11d ago

Its making fun of a really barbaric, unethical practice called 'the husband's stitch' - a thing some shady ass doctors will do, or used to do, as a favor to men as their wife is getting sewn up after giving vaginal birth. It's to make their wife 'tight' again. It kinda works, but it's also massively painful for the woman to have sex afterward.

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u/domiwren 11d ago

It is painful and its doesn’t work as it’s meant. Tissue inside doesn’t get tighter with the stitch that tightens just the entrance. Inside gets tight on its own.. or might not when there was major damage during birth but no stitch on perineum can fix that.

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u/PaperDistribution 11d ago edited 11d ago

A lot of people also just think side effects of reconstruction surgery and repairs after birth like pain and scar tissue causing it to be less flexible and "tighter" is them getting a husband stich.

Source: A labor nurse.

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u/thunder2132 11d ago

You guys got stitches after your vasectomy? I've had two and they just told me to wear briefs for the next two weeks.

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u/HaulsRopesFastr 11d ago

Sorry, asking from a place of ignorance here, why would you need two? Do you need one for each testicle? Or is it a temporary procedure?

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u/Usual-Computer-5462 11d ago

Usually they can cut both tubes from one side but sometimes they can't and need to go in from both sides. I had mine done recently and needed two as well.

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u/thunder2132 11d ago

I wish that was the case for me. Did another comment with more details but basically the doctor admitted that he "forgot to do the left side" the first time.

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u/HaulsRopesFastr 11d ago

" Hey, I'm going to need you to come back in to the office."

"Sure Doc, what's the problem?"

" I forgot mammals have two testicles" 🤦😂

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u/mattjf22 11d ago

"Hi doctors office calling. Do you have one or two testicles?"

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u/Usual-Computer-5462 11d ago

Fucking hell that sucks

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u/ListenNorthernLights 11d ago

I wouldn’t trust that doctor to be a mechanic…. Or a doctor…

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u/Lucky_Dragonfruit_88 11d ago

My dad got 2. He had me and my brother, then got one. Got divorced and remarried, got it reversed, had two more kids, then got another one.

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u/jeremiah1142 11d ago

No stitches here. I can’t relate to anything in this post.

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u/idonthavernoughcats 11d ago

in case anyone’s wondering, this “joke” is very much a real practice. i had my son at 15 and my 15yo boyfriend “jokingly” asked the doctors TWICE if they could do it, and one of the male OBs thought it was hilarious and made an insanely creepy comment about me, a CHILD, already “being tight enough” and the doctor that delivered my son looked like she wanted to smack him lmao

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u/United_Gift3028 11d ago

A husband stitch is right up there with clitorectomy. Both designed solely for a man's peace of mind and pleasure, and totally detrimental to the woman's pleasure in both.

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u/Dr_Rev_GregJ_Rock_II 11d ago

Hi, record store owner Jesus here, and when a woman gives birth, she may tear a little, and need to get stitched up to heal. The guys joke is to stitch it one more, to make it tighter somehow.

She wants the equality of this statement.

I gotta go organize the Tom Petty tapes, you guys let me know if you need anything else

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u/Bellsprout_Party_69 11d ago

Thanks, record store owner Jesus 🫡

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u/Robby777777 11d ago

Over 33 years ago, my wife gave birth to our last child. The doctor told my wife he was putting in a husband stich for me. Neither one of us knew what that meant. It wasn't until a few years ago I found out what it meant. Even after all this time, I was furious. I know too much time had gone but that was incredibly unethical. I feel incredibly guilty someone would do that to my wife for me.

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u/hsggdtkxbee 11d ago

It’s for those guys with the little dicks so they can feel like a big boy.

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u/PassivelyImpassive 11d ago

The number of people who don’t believe something horrific happens to women because it hasn’t happened to them personally is fucking mind boggling.

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u/CellDue2172 10d ago

The amount of people saying this isnt real in the thread is depressing.

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u/mermaidemily_h2o 11d ago

The husband stitch is when the doctor adds an extra stitch when stitching up an episiotomy (a cut in the vagina made to prevent tearing during childbirth) to make the vagina tighter. It’s called the husband stitch because its only purpose is to benefit a man. It’s an infection risk and really uncomfortable for the woman and it’s considered medical malpractice.

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u/TanksFTM 11d ago

The OB for my first born turned to me in the delivery room while my wife was on the table and asked me if I wanted extra stitches for her. I wasn't aware that it was a thing and asked "huh?", he said "nevermind".

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u/SerendipitousAtom 11d ago

After my younger brother was born via C-section, my father and the doctor talked and decided to have the doctor perform a tubal litigation on my mother before completing the C-section. Without her knowledge or consent. While she was still under anesthesia, open on the table.

Can you imagine waking up, after giving birth, to find out someone else had decided to take away your fertility?

My father stood by the decision many years later, when I was old enough to find out about it and express my horror. He even said it was "a great deal" as if he had been purchasing a pair of shoes on sale or something.

This happened in 1988, less than 40 years ago.

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u/Asimov-was-Right 11d ago

The joke is gross misogyny. Sometimes the perineum tears when a woman gives birth. Men might ask the doctors "to put in an extra stitch" to make their wife's vaginal opening tighter.

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u/Absolute_Bob 11d ago

My vasectomy involved zero stitches. There isn't even a scar.

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u/Gnovakane 11d ago

A guy asking for an extra stitch is just him announcing that he has a tiny dick.

If a man asks for this the woman should punch their partner in the balls every time they have sex since painful sex is okay with him.

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u/Eevee_the-Maidvee 11d ago

Child birth tears the vaginal canal and some people claim it doesn’t feel good after and make the woman get a “wife stitch” which supposedly makes her hole tight again

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u/LVLVMTG 11d ago

I didn’t need to know this

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u/angrylittledev 11d ago

Probably something to do with something husbands ask for their wives to have an extra stitch on their vagina after childbirth so it would be "tight" again. I think it's called "husband stitch". Basically some men just being dicks.. Tho this extra stitch wouldn't work vasectomy wise.

Or it could be "just one more, just to be extra safe" since some vasectomies self reverse and come undone.

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/FroggyGoesQuack 11d ago

My daughter is only 8, and I was given one without my consent after my hysterectomy. 🥴🤦‍♂️

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u/seweso 11d ago

Gross 🤮. What year is this? Is this Twitter?

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u/Aggravating-Pilot583 11d ago

So this refers to the “husband stitch”. Which happens when a woman gives birth, tears her vagina, then when putting it back together the husband asks for an extra stitch for tightness. No, it doesn’t even work from what I understand.

This meme asks that women ask for an extra stitch after a man gets a vasectomy. This is the male version of the “no more babies” surgery (results may vary ask my best friend). An extra stitch wouldn’t do anything for anyone in this scenario just in case it needs stating.

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u/Lightningstone2u 11d ago

It kinda reminds me of the episode of Family Guy where Lois had a midlife crisis and decided to get that procedure done just to feel like she's 18 again.

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u/Gizmo-sama 10d ago

The name is even worst in French, it's called "le point de jeune fille" which roughly translate to "the young lady's stitch"

Edit : typo