about the exam, to ask additional questions, and to further talk about your personal health.
A few tips:
If you want to see your vulva and cervix, ask your practitioner to hand you a mirror. It can be fun and informative!
If you are nervous during the exam, give your provider a few tips about the best ways to help you relax. Do you want upto-the-minute details on what he/she is doing? Perhaps you would prefer to be distracted by some small talk? It is best for you, your provider, and your health if you are relaxed, so speak up!
That’s it; all done! Now that wasn’t so bad—was it?
RAISING A DAUGHTER
When women finally learn about their vulvas and vaginas, they are often well into adulthood. We envision a future in which more parents feel comfortable and confident taking care of their young daughter’s genital health and raise them with correct information as soon as they begin teaching them to speak. If you are raising a daughter or are otherwise caring for a young girl, we hope that this information will be helpful to you:
Although very rare, it is possible for a girl to be born without a vagina or with a very small vagina. In many cases, a vagina can be surgically created when she is older (genital surgeries are only very rarely recommended for babies or young children, such as in cases where they are medically necessary).
Her clitoris may appear unusually large. When a baby is first born, she has estrogen from her mother’s blood supply. As estrogen is linked to a range of vaginal and vulvar features, this means that she will likely experience vaginal lubrication and discharge during the first few weeks of life. Her labia majora and minora may also be noticeably plump. After several weeks, when she no longer is impacted by her mother’s estrogen, her mons and outer labia will likely shrink in size. This may make her clitoris and inner labia look larger than before, but that is a normal occurrence. Girls often “grow into” their genitals around the time of puberty. However, if you have any questions about your daughter’s genital size, ask her pediatrician.
Even a baby may experience vaginal bleeding. When a baby no longer has her mother’s estrogen supply, her uterus may shed some of its lining due to the drop in estrogen levels. As such, some female babies experience small amounts of vaginal bleeding during their first few weeks of life outside the womb.
Her labia may stick together. Without her mother’s estrogen supply, a baby or toddler’s inner labia may stick together, a condition called “labial adhesion.” In the United States, it happens to about 2 percent of female babies and children up to the age of six. 9 The inner labia may stick together just a little or a lot, covering some or much of the vaginal opening or urethra (which can be problematic in terms of having urine pool there). If you have a daughter and notice this when changing her diaper or helping her go to the bathroom, you should mention it to her pediatrician. Sometimes no treatment is needed and the inner labia separate on their own. Other times, an estrogen cream is prescribed, and a girl’s parents or caretakers are asked to apply it to her labia, often for a matter of weeks. The cream often helps the labia to separate. In rare cases, if the cream is ineffective (as it is for approximately 20 to 50 percent of girls), a quick surgical procedure should permanently resolve the problem. 10 – 12 It is not usually an ongoing medical problem, but it is something to speak with one’s pediatrician about.
She may touch herself. Young babies, both male and female, often touch their genitals. Then again, they touch many of their body parts. This is not unusual. Studies of parents and caregivers indicate that the vast majority of young children touch their own genitals. Many children, as we’ll discuss later, also play games that involve comparing their private parts. This is also common and a normal part of exploration. Some
A few tips:
If you want to see your vulva and cervix, ask your practitioner to hand you a mirror. It can be fun and informative!
If you are nervous during the exam, give your provider a few tips about the best ways to help you relax. Do you want upto-the-minute details on what he/she is doing? Perhaps you would prefer to be distracted by some small talk? It is best for you, your provider, and your health if you are relaxed, so speak up!
That’s it; all done! Now that wasn’t so bad—was it?
RAISING A DAUGHTER
When women finally learn about their vulvas and vaginas, they are often well into adulthood. We envision a future in which more parents feel comfortable and confident taking care of their young daughter’s genital health and raise them with correct information as soon as they begin teaching them to speak. If you are raising a daughter or are otherwise caring for a young girl, we hope that this information will be helpful to you:
Although very rare, it is possible for a girl to be born without a vagina or with a very small vagina. In many cases, a vagina can be surgically created when she is older (genital surgeries are only very rarely recommended for babies or young children, such as in cases where they are medically necessary).
Her clitoris may appear unusually large. When a baby is first born, she has estrogen from her mother’s blood supply. As estrogen is linked to a range of vaginal and vulvar features, this means that she will likely experience vaginal lubrication and discharge during the first few weeks of life. Her labia majora and minora may also be noticeably plump. After several weeks, when she no longer is impacted by her mother’s estrogen, her mons and outer labia will likely shrink in size. This may make her clitoris and inner labia look larger than before, but that is a normal occurrence. Girls often “grow into” their genitals around the time of puberty. However, if you have any questions about your daughter’s genital size, ask her pediatrician.
Even a baby may experience vaginal bleeding. When a baby no longer has her mother’s estrogen supply, her uterus may shed some of its lining due to the drop in estrogen levels. As such, some female babies experience small amounts of vaginal bleeding during their first few weeks of life outside the womb.
Her labia may stick together. Without her mother’s estrogen supply, a baby or toddler’s inner labia may stick together, a condition called “labial adhesion.” In the United States, it happens to about 2 percent of female babies and children up to the age of six. 9 The inner labia may stick together just a little or a lot, covering some or much of the vaginal opening or urethra (which can be problematic in terms of having urine pool there). If you have a daughter and notice this when changing her diaper or helping her go to the bathroom, you should mention it to her pediatrician. Sometimes no treatment is needed and the inner labia separate on their own. Other times, an estrogen cream is prescribed, and a girl’s parents or caretakers are asked to apply it to her labia, often for a matter of weeks. The cream often helps the labia to separate. In rare cases, if the cream is ineffective (as it is for approximately 20 to 50 percent of girls), a quick surgical procedure should permanently resolve the problem. 10 – 12 It is not usually an ongoing medical problem, but it is something to speak with one’s pediatrician about.
She may touch herself. Young babies, both male and female, often touch their genitals. Then again, they touch many of their body parts. This is not unusual. Studies of parents and caregivers indicate that the vast majority of young children touch their own genitals. Many children, as we’ll discuss later, also play games that involve comparing their private parts. This is also common and a normal part of exploration. Some
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