Is it even worth dilating reaching the age of 70?

[Sad Girl]

Briefly I just wanna know if it's worth dilating when you reach an age where you don't wanna have sexual intercourse anymore. Just like piercing an ear, after months it wouldn't close itself anymore. But is there a span for neo vaginas that despite we stop dilating it wouldn't close itself anymore?

And say we stop, will there be at least place for the pee hole if let's say I reach an age where I don't wanna have sex but just need to urinate or we need to dilate forever just to be able to urinate?

[Sandy]

Briefly I just wanna know if it's worth dilating when you reach an age where you don't wanna have sexual intercourse anymore. Just like piercing an ear, after months it wouldn't close itself anymore. But is there a span for neo vaginas that despite we stop dilating it wouldn't close itself anymore?

And say we stop, will there be at least place for the pee hole if let's say I reach an age where I don't wanna have sex but just need to urinate or we need to dilate forever just to be able to urinate?

Like most post-op women, I was told by my surgeon that I would have to dilate for life.  That like the pierced ear, the vagina would eventually close, or at least become very tight.  And possibly require surgery to open the vagina if the walls collapse.  Much like vaginal stenosis that born women can get in later years.

From personal experience, I have gone many weeks without dilating and when I have gone back to it, there was a little bit of pinching, but hardly the difficulty I had expected.  Nor had I lost any depth.

I have heard from other older women of similar experiences.  Remember that medical people are, by design, very conservative, to cover every possible eventuality.  So they would err on the side of caution about dilation, say that your dilator is your life-time friend.

So in other words, probably not, but, as always, YMMV!

And, hon, if your putting your dilator in your pee-hole, you're doing it wrong! 

No, if you stop dilating, it will have no effect at all in how you pee.

-Sandy

[Sad Girl]

Hmmm Sandy, interesting. Can you please explain what is WALL COLLAPSING, I never got that part.

[Gretchen]

Keep dilating.

[Sandy]

Hmmm Sandy, interesting. Can you please explain what is WALL COLLAPSING, I never got that part.

Wall collapse is a colloquial term for stenosis:
http://www.femistent.com/pages/understanding-your-condition/vaginal-stenosis.html

The above reference uses radiotherapy as one of the causative factors of stenosis.  But is can also occur as a result of surgery, or childbirth.

Also, for post-op women who have had vaginaplasty using penile and scrotal tissue implantation, the scar tissue around the joining of the two tissues can thicken and stiffen if not regularly opened through dilation.  Additionally, the type of suturing used to connect the two pieces of tissue can sometimes be an issue.  Most surgeons use a zig-zag, expanding, suture technique.  But if this is not done, tightening of the vaginal walls through non-dilation could cause a ring of scar tissue that could be almost impenetrable and require surgery to re-expand.

-Sandy

[TraciMC]

In 2010, I went from July to December without dilating once (really bad, I know).  It got very tight by Christmas time; I remember sometimes if I pulled my leg I could feel it stretch on the inside.  I did not like that feeling at all.  I was able to restore things to the way they used to be with daily dilation (by the time I had my annual pelvic exam in June, all was normal), but I am still young. 

[Stephe]

And say we stop, will there be at least place for the pee hole if let's say I reach an age where I don't wanna have sex but just need to urinate or we need to dilate forever just to be able to urinate?

?? O.o

[sonopoly]

I know of women in their older years who thought they never wanted to have sex again but after being widowed they met people and wanted to have sex again, so I'd suggest not stopping dilation.  Hey, you never know and you only live once!

[Kitty_Babe]

Like most post-op women, I was told by my surgeon that I would have to dilate for life.  That like the pierced ear, the vagina would eventually close, or at least become very tight.  And possibly require surgery to open the vagina if the walls collapse.  Much like vaginal stenosis that born women can get in later years.

From personal experience, I have gone many weeks without dilating and when I have gone back to it, there was a little bit of pinching, but hardly the difficulty I had expected.  Nor had I lost any depth.

I have heard from other older women of similar experiences.  Remember that medical people are, by design, very conservative, to cover every possible eventuality.  So they would err on the side of caution about dilation, say that your dilator is your life-time friend.

So in other words, probably not, but, as always, YMMV!

And, hon, if your putting your dilator in your pee-hole, you're doing it wrong! 

No, if you stop dilating, it will have no effect at all in how you pee.

-Sandy

I haven't dilated for a LONG time, I just started again doing it, ever other week or two, because I am becoming sexually "interested" in that side of life again, I found I haven't lost any depth, but its got tighter. I am hoping that I can open the walls up again, and not have to under go any surgery to have my vaginal walls re opened more.

[lilacwoman]

pee hole should be very close to front of vagina and pee is useful for washing the front as pee is germfree as supplied.

re closing up are you assuming that it will just heal up like when we get a deep cut?   surely it wil be like a emptied balloon that may trap pockets of potentially problem secretions?

I'm inclined to think that maybe there may be deep infection issues that have to be kept in mind if dilating is stopped.

Then the filling and emptying of rectum seems to cause regular emptying of the vagina so perhaps long term things will be OK without dilating?

[Re: Joyce]

My therapist says she is working with a woman who never dilated and now does have problems urinating.   There are also other serious problems.

       Uh, like you can't just take a break and (insert dilator) and just lay back and listen to some music?

       Women have to do a lot more basic maintenance than men.    So, what's the big deal?  You do what you have to do.

[lilacwoman]

I switched a few brain cells on and thought about closing up and maybe an undilated neovag will close up and heal over and perhaps any infection or dead skin inside will be sealed off with the hard skin (name?) like TB or a bullet gets sealed off in a capsule?