Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Why So Large Down There?

The question was raised on an About.com board today:

Why do these women get such large vaginal lips?

The more important question is probably what constitues large vaginal lips.

The bottom line is that nobody knows. I routinely ask my patients how long they have been aware of the issue. Most say they have felt "large" down there for quite some time. Others feel that child birth may have made the problem worse. None so far have indicated that a male partner had said anything about it or indicated that it was a problem.

A Korean surgeon that described one of the operations to reduce large Labia minorae thought it might have something to do with masturbation or having lots of sex. There is not good data to support such a conclusion. He also indicated that he felt women were more aware of it as an issue because of pornography.

Here he is probably right. It is painfully easy to look at plenty of women's privates in the comfort of your own home: internet porn. I'd wager that women are comparing like they have not been able to compare in days gone by. That and public awareness probably fuel the desire we are now seeing.


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD
San Clemente, Ca.