Vaginal laceration after consensual practice of vaginal fisting: case report and brief overview of the literature

ABSTRACT

Background. The term “fisting” refers to an uncommon sexual practice whereby the hand or the forearm is inserted into the vagina, anus, or both. The practice of consensual vaginal fisting may be under the umbrella term of “rough sex”
Case presentation. We herein present a case of vaginal laceration in a 37-year-old woman during an uncommon sexual practice, the so-called “vaginal fisting”. The patient presented at the General Emergency Department complaining of abnormal vaginal bleeding after sexual activity. She was immediately referred to the Gynecological Department for consultation: objective examination showed a bilateral lesion of the posterior vaginal fornix (1 cm in the right side, 5 cm in the left side). Upon interview, the patient admitted she was practicing vaginal fisting for the first time with her partner. Due to her massive ongoing bleeding, the doctor in charge of emergency transferred the patient to the surgery room and a surgical repair was performed with no further complications. She was discharged on the first postoperative day. At the 30 days follow-up visit, her vaginal examination was completely negative, and she successfully resumed her sexual life.
Conclusions. Consensual vaginal fisting is an uncommon yet potentially dangerous sexual practice, and it seems of paramount importance to explore its frequency and to analyze its potential complications and their treatments.