Labia Vagina

Labia Vagina

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Written by Anuradha Varanasi | Updated : November 16, 2016 9:47 AM IST
Despite the fact that a woman’s labia is the most visible part of the vulva or external female genital organs, we know very little about it. As a woman, it is important to know about the labia or the part of the vulva that is popularly referred to as vaginal lips. Here are seven facts about labia that every woman should know of.

Your labia surrounds and protects the clitoris, opening of the vagina and also the urethra. The main function of the labia is to shield your vulva or the external female genital organs. Also Read - 3 Reasons You Should Never Consume Expired Food Items

There are different parts of the labia which are called labia majora or the outer labia and labia minora. Your labia majora are fattier and larger while minora are the folds of skin under the outer labia.

Your labia can become bigger than normal when you’re aroused during sexual intercourse. This is because the labia becomes engorged or swells with blood due to increased vaginal blood flow during sexual arousal [1]. Also Read - Chronic Heart Diseases To Fibromyalgia: Here Is How Arthritis Damages Other Organs of Your Body

Some women go under the knife for surgical enhancements for the labia. This surgical procedure is known as labiaplasty which means reshaping of the labia. Another cosmetic procedure to enhance the appearance of the labia is known as labia puffing or plumping. This is a non-surgical technique which involves injections of the woman’s own fat or dermal fillers in the labia majora. Women opt for this procedure to look younger down there. However, millions of women worldwide are subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at a very young age where the labia is cut without any medical supervision or anesthesia. FGM is harmful and extremely traumatizing and was recently made illegal in several countries.

The labia can tear and get swollen due to childbirth and also following unfortunate incidents like sexual assault or abuse. However, other physical activities like intensive cycling can also cause swelling pain and a torn labia and female cyclists who have to cover long distances (an average of 462.5 km per week) are more prone to it [2]. Some women complain of pain and bleeding due to a torn labia after a rough and passionate lovemaking session. Also Read - Gas Leak In Tamil Nadu: 100 Students In Krishnagiri Admitted To Hospital With Extreme Uneasiness, Nausea

As you age, your labia will change in appearance as it tends to shrink and even become droopier when a woman is approaching or experiencing menopause due to low estrogen levels. During your 20’s, your labia will look slimmer [3].

Lastly, it is important to remember that every woman’s labia looks different in some way or the other. Pornography has placed unrealistic standards on how a woman’s genitals are supposed to look so don’t feel ashamed about how your labia looks. Also Read - Poor Diet Can Lead To Hypertension, Heart Diseases That Can Damage Your Kidneys Completely

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The vagina is an elastic, muscular canal with a soft, flexible lining that provides lubrication and sensation. The vagina connects the uterus to the outside world. The vulva and labia form the entrance, and the cervix of the uterus protrudes into the vagina, forming the interior end.
The vagina receives the penis during sexual intercourse and also serves as a conduit for menstrual flow from the uterus. During childbirth , the baby passes through the vagina (birth canal).
The hymen is a thin membrane of tissue that surrounds and narrows the vaginal opening. It may be torn or ruptured by sexual activity or by exercise.
CDC: "Trichomoniasis - CDC Fact Sheet" and "Bacterial Vaginosis - CDC Fact Sheet."
WebMD Medical Reference: "What's Normal, the First Time?"
WebMD Blog: "Can a Vagina Be Too Big?"
WebMD Medical Reference from eMedicineHealth: "Vaginal Prolapse."
© 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

by Anna Medaris Miller Published: Jan 29, 2018
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Long or short, plump or thin, dark or pale, wrinkly or smooth—no two labia look exactly the same, says Stephanie Romero, M.D., an ob-gyn at USF Health in Tampa, Florida.
In case you're not familiar with the anatomical terms, the inner and outer folds of your vulva are called the labia majora and labia minora. The majora are the outer lips (the ones that grow hair) while the minora are the inner lips, which connect to the clitoral hood. The majora typically at least partially envelop the labia minora.
Unfortunately, as more women are shaving and waxing their pubic hair, they’re also becoming increasingly concerned about whether their labia are normal, explains Lauren Streicher, M.D., an ob-gyn in Chicago and the medical director of the Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
“It used to be that nobody could see their labia and they never paid any attention [to it], and now everyone is looking and inspecting,” she says. “And of course, everyone thinks their labia isn’t as pretty as someone else’s labia.”
Meanwhile, labiaplasties—plastic surgery to alter the labia minora and/or majora—are on the rise, reports the American Society of Plastic Surgeons . Currently, more than 12,000 procedures are performed by ASPS members per year, a 39 percent increase from previous years.
But before rushing to alter your lady parts, understand that almost all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors of labia are normal and healthy. To prove our point, we talked to top gynos—and got creative in the drawing room—to share explanations and illustrations of what "normal" labia look like. And guess what? Yours is undoubtedly on the list.
If your tour de vaginas is limited to textbooks and porn, this type —in which the labia majora, or the outer lips, neatly envelope the labia minora, clitoris , and vaginal opening—is likely what you assume all normal labia look like. (Yes, it kind of resembles a fortune cookie.) And when most women seek out labiaplasties, this is the look they are going for, says Karen Horton, M.D., a plastic surgeon in San Francisco who specializes in female cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, including labiaplasty.
But while this type is common, it’s certainly not universal—or even universally desired, Horton says. “Not everyone wants Barbie's [smooth area],” she says.
Watch an OB-GYN explain whether sex can stretch out your vagina:
Just like some women sport thicker middles and others carry more junk in the trunk, some women’s outer lips pack extra padding. “One of the complaints I get is, ‘It’s too poofy,’” Horton says, which can make some women self-conscious about bulges in, say, yoga pants. She notes that labia majora reduction surgeries are actually a thing.
But, there are other solutions: Camelflage , for example, is brand of undies with special sewn-in liners that fight the dreaded camel toe .
Some women’s labia majora are naturally thinner, and many women’s labia majora become thinner post-menopause due to hormonal changes, experts say. But while Horton says some ladies complain about looking deflated—in Asia, there’s even a trend toward surgeries that plump them up your lady lips—there’s no harm in having less meat there, experts say.
“If someone were to have no labia, would they have medical problems as a result of it? No. would they have painful sex as a result of it? No. Would they be dysfunctional? No.” Streicher says.
Sometimes, the labia minora aren’t so, well, minor, and one or both protrude beyond the labia majora. While this shape is normal, it tends to be the one that bothers women most. “Sometimes their labia gets caught, like when they’re trying to have sex and it kind of gets folded up. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, like when they’re riding a bike,” Streicher says. “Sometimes, when [they pee,] instead of it coming straight out, it sprays all over the place.”
These kinds of issues can lead some women to seek labiaplasties , which are relatively minor surgeries, but not without risk, Streicher says. Bleeding, scarring, and uncomfortable intercourse can, in rare cases, result.
“If you look at a head-on picture of the labia, what you typically see is that the labia start at the top and then extend all the way down to the bottom of the vaginal opening—well not everybody has that,” Streicher says.
“In some women, it only comes down three-quarters of the way or even halfway every once in a while.” Again, there’s no functional reason to worry about it.
If you consider that the labia majora are basically an extension of the inner thighs and buttocks, it's kind of surprising that they're a totally different color than the rest of your skin. “Some people can be gray, some can be pink,” Romero says.
The color can also change, typically veering toward a darker shade, after pregnancy , thanks to hormones, Streicher adds. Your labia minora can be dramatically darker than the rest of your lady parts too. That too, she says, is “totally normal.” Phew.
Anna Medaris Miller is a writer and editor in New York City who has years of experience reporting and writing on various health topics. She's covered the upsides of sugar consumption and the downsides of standing desks, but because she made her national TV debut explaining why toilet seat covers are useless, she'll forever identify with "the bowel beat." Public swimming pools, brewpub patios, and basset hound festivals are her happy places.
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