closed vagina on 8 yr old

[mrbkn]

When my daughter was 1 I was tending my sisters little girl and noticed that our girls looked VERY different. I told my husband that our little girl didn't have a vagina. He just laighed and said that all girls have them. I called ask a nurse and they gave me news no mother would ever want to hear. ( she will never have children and all that.) So I called the hospital and my Dr. happened to be there. He had me call first thing in the morning and get her in for him to see her. He pulled up her birth records and she was normal when she was born. They did ultrasounds and everything is there. So he sent us to a ped. obgyn and she put her on estegen. She opened up. We continued putting the cream on and she closed back up. This Dr. moved out of state and we found a new Dr.  She tried everything we would get her opened for a min. and then she would close back up. At the age of 4 she ws surgically opened up. That lasted about 3 months. They don't know what is causing her to do this we have had dermitlogists do allergy tests and no one seems to know.
We have taken her off the estregen because of health risks and are hoping when the time comes that her own body will kick in and open her up. I have heard of this happening but when they gave the cream it opened them and they were fine.
Has anyone heard of this?  I am worried now because if her own body doesn't kick in and she starts her period and the blood pools it can kill her.

[lmroswell]

My daughter had this when she was a toddler.  She was prescribed the estrogen cream and things returned to normal.  Some months later, she had closed up a little, but not completely.  The doctor said that as she gets older, her own hormones will kick in and it will return to normal.  I wouldn't worry too much about the hormone therapy.  I would call the pediatrician and see if they can prescribe it again.  If it does not improve, find a doctor that has dealt with this a lot and see what options there are.  You don't want to traumatize her with unnecessary medical intervention if this will resolve on its own, which is what I was told would happen.  Good luck.

[mrbkn]

The tramitazation is one reason we stopped going to see the Dr.'s. She is completely closed. She pees through a pin hole and is watch very closely by our family Dr. because of the risk of uti's.  She developed breasts and her leg hair is pretty thick. She knows she has a problem and we keep a close eye and it but is it really nesacery to keep giving her the cream and run the risk of cancer and the other affects of the cream?

[who_is_this]

These are questions that should be discussed with her doctor.  If you are not comfortable with what her doctor says, seek out another opinion.

[mrbkn]

I just thought maybe someone else was going through this too and maybe they had some advice for me. Her Dr. doesn't know what to do she is the only one she has seen that hasn't stayed opened. sorry for wasting your time.

[IWantToBeAMom]

Hithere,
I am not familiar with this kind of situation, but I do have some advice.  I can understand why you are freaked.  I would be too.  

You mention that your daughter pees through a pin hole and is very closely watched by your family doctor.  When you say family doctor do you really mean "family doctor" and that they are not a pediatrician?  If yes, then I cannot stress enough that you need to be taking your daughter to a pediatrician, first and foremost.  Kids are not just tiny adults, they are very different and need a ped. not a family doctor.  Find a ped. that you are confident in and if they don't have the answers then ask for a referral to a specialist.  Seek out children's hospitals where they have these specialists on staff.  I know you stated that she did see a ped. obgyn, but now she's just being watched by your family doctor.  Does this ped. obgyn know that your daughter has closed up again?

Don't give up, keeping seeking answers!  You said that her doctor doesn't know what to do because she is the only one she has seen that hasn't stayed opened.  This is a red flag that you need to move onwards and upwards in the ranks.  

Good luck, I wish you all the best on your quest!!!!

[oceans3]

well, i was going to comment on "who is this" response because i was taken a back by the lack of sympathy. i did not respond because i thought it was "just me" being my ultra sensitive self. i always seem to take things the wrong way. however, your response "justified" my feelings.
dont feel time has been wasted. that poster can tend to be very brief lacking warmth. just keep checking back. someone else (like imroswell) will possibly have experienced the same thing. sorry you are going through this. especially something rare. what if you posted under that new forum..undiagnosed symptoms? is that what it is?
come back ok?

[marriedlove]

This condition--known as labial adhesions--is apparently not all that uncommon among little girls.  We tend not to notice that it's developed at all once we're past the point of changing their diapers, because once they're potty changed, we don't really spend any time examining our children's private areas!  We discovered this problem because our daughter was having difficulty urinating.  She went *all* the time, but always felt like she needed to go again.  I figured it must be some sort of UTI, but it turned out to be labial adhesions.  A pox upon the nurse who scared the daylights out of you.  Sheesh!  A medical professional ought to know better.  The estrogen cream is generally only applied for a very short time to prevent side effects.  Do beware of pediatricians who want to have you apply the cream, the "open" your girl in their offices.  Can anyone say *OWWWWWWW*?  Don't you let 'em do that!  We certainly don't want our daughters associating pain with their sexual organs.  We ended up opting to see a specialist in gynecologic surgery, who separated the lips (the cream wasn't doing the trick) in a surgical setting.  There was some discomfort on that day, but it was readily alleviated with tylenol, ice packs, and urinating in the tub.  (Sounds weird, but the water carries the urine away from the sore edges of the labia, and prevents what would otherwise be painful burning.) By the next day, she had a bounce in her step, could finally really empty her bladder, and was happy all around.  For several weeks, we needed to apply a little bit of non-hormonal cream between her labia to prevent them begin to adhere again as they healed and "zipping" closed again.  (The doc suggested Neutrogena hand cream, unscented, and that worked perfectly.)  I took this opportunity to teach my daughter how to look at her own genitals, and how to care for them.  She applied the cream herself, and learned to take some time when bathing, going to the bathroom, etc. to have a look/feel and make sure everything was good.

If she's old enough to grasp what's up (and I do suggest explaining it if she is, even if you have to keep it all pretty simple), then this condition can actually become a good opportunity to help her be confident and unashamed about her body, and it's also a good time to clarify who can and can't have access to it, and why.

Hope all goes well.  Don't freak, but do be a good advocate for her, and insist on thoughtful and sensitive as well as medically sound treatment.

marriedlove

[mrbkn]

Thank you for your kind words. I am glad the surgery worked for your daughter. They tried mixing different creams and surgery and nothing keeps her open. It is nice to know that I am not the only parent going through this. Our Dr. made it out like it is very rare.
Thank You!

[marriedlove]

You are so welcome.  Drives me nuts that docs aren't just very straightforward about these things.  Sometimes, I think we need to move on down the road when our kids' pediatricians get past the usual stuff like ear infections.  In fact, if you haven't yet seen a pediatric urologist or gynecologist, I'd definitely suggest that.  If there is a good children's hospital in your area, you can call them, and they will either help you make an appointment with one of their specialists, or help you locate a person nearer home who has a subspeciality in working with kids.  In any case, expertise is what's wanted, I think.  That and some attention to the long term effects, here:  you *don't* want to send the message to your daughter that there is anything the least bit abnormal about her, or anything dangerous about this temporary condition.  It's simple mechanics, really--the labia minora are very sensitive, and when they get irritated they can adhere to each other as they heal, and that processes can become a cycle, with adhesions the end result.  It's plain silly to think of the thing as life-threatening.  Any competent doc should know better than that.  By the time your daughter is old enough to menstruate, the problem will, hopefully, be but a distant memory, but even if it were to last until then, the hormonal changes of pubescence would become a natural corrective.  Getting her period, for cryin' out loud, isn't going to kill her.

It's disheartening to discover how really clueless even those in the medical world can be about the female anatomy.  If I hear one more person refer to the entirety of the female genitalia as the "vagina," I believe that I shall scream!  We do our girls a great favor by teaching them the correct terms (i.e. vulva, labia minora, labia majora, clitoris, *and* vagina) for the various beautiful and miraculous pieces and parts of their bodies.

End of lecture, lol!

marriedlove

[lmroswell]

Marriedlove gave you great advice.  I would take all of the advice.  Years ago, our pediatrician tried to manually open the area up with a q-tip.  I could see it was not working and my daughter not responding in a positive way, and I asked that the procedure be stopped.  As far as the cream goes, call the pharmaceutical company and ask to speak to their drug expert(s) or pharmacist, and they can give you all kinds of information in regards to the long term use of the cream, in simple terms that you will understand.  From what I remember, but I could be wrong, is that the cream is not absorbed in a big way into your system.  But, I am not real clear on that.  I was glad that when we used it, we got positive results rather quickly.  All of this has reminded me to ask my daughter to take a look down there to see if she is still opened up, as I haven't seen that area in quite some time.  She wasn't too responsive to my query, but I am sure in a few days she will look.  I hope all is well down there.  As far as your daughter goes, the small pinhole where the urine comes out, is just that, very small.  And is not a part of the vaginal opening.  With my daughter, her adhesion in the vaginal area did not impact her ureathra (sp?) and the adhesion was not 100% percent, but pretty close.

[monkeyflower]

I just wanted to say how refreshing it was to read your post. So many parents are reluctant/afraid to teach kids anything about their bodies or sexuality - even the names of body parts are off limits for some folks. What a delight to read such an affirming, comfortable, and positive post.

[AndiJ78]

You are absolutely right!! We started teaching our oldest the actual names for his anatomy at an early age. When we got to testicle, he morphed it into "tescalish" 2 years later and he still refuses to use the right word! Anytime he says it I giggle a little on the inside.

Andi

[babycakes750]

I have been raising my granddaughter since her birth, we have had four such in office minor surgeries and used the cream each time. However, the opening only remains while applying the cream at four week intervals. Once we discontinue the cream within a week it is closed again. I was told that the membrane is really thick and that is causing the problem. I was afraid for her to go through the procedure a fifth time, as it is a painful one. I am now at a loss as what is left to do . She is only twenty six months old, and hate to see her go through this again. She locks her legs together so firmly that you can't look there anymore.  We have had the surgery since her sixth month of her life.

[lhughes]

My first daughter had this problem with the closing of the inner labia (minora...always called 'em inner and outer labia, sorry marriedlove :) )...we went through putting estrogen cream on her I think 4 different times for about 3-6 weeks each time depending on how long it took to reopen before it finally stayed open.  It took FOREVER the first time to open up.  I don't think I remember our ped saying there would be any problems since I used just a very little each time and not hardly any of the container over all.  (and I think I asked about problems using it since I have and estrogen positive cancer).

I keep watch on it still, since she's only 3 and still lets me check her out.  I'm glad to know that I should keep checking.  Luckily my second daughter did not have this problem.  Whew.

I liked the idea of taking her to a specialist like a GYN.  They might be able to guide you since that is their specialty area.  I had actually asked my OB about it since I had never heard of such a thing.  Would have taken her into see him except it did remain open eventually.

Best of luck, I hope you can resolve her issue without her thinking anything bad.  It's not uncommon, apparently.

[me27]

im 16 and im scared,

for some reason i think ihave this im not sure but im to scared to ask mum about it and i dont really want to sneak behnd her back

would she have noticed when i was little?

is there any way i can find out and you said that they said your daughter could never have kids? i hope this isnt true because it is verty upsetting.

can you still have sex if you are?

please help

[lhughes]

No reason to be scared.  Do you have a pediatrician that you see regularly?  Have you talked to your mom about seeing a gynecologist?  Either of those options should be open to you to talk with a doc about this.  You are about the right age to consider seeing a GYN if your pediatrician doesn't do a check.

If nothing else, take a mirror and look for yourself.  You should see two sets of "lips", the outer labia are of course the first thing you see, then underneath the inner labia (minora), then your vagina.  If you can see all three, you are ok.  If you are still unsure, it would be best to talk with your mom about your concerns and have her take you to a doc.  Embarrassing, yes.  Important for your health, yes.

But don't worry too much about it, it's a relatively easy fix if it is closed.

[me27]

thank you so much i feel a lot better now. well atleast a lot more relaxed i will do one of the options not sure which yet but now i no that it is somewhat normal and can be fixed i am alot happier.

thank yuo

[Booboosmum]

Hello,
  
I noticed you menitoned "inner" labia. That is the closest description to what I think my 6month old dahgter has. Her Labia is not fused but actually the vagina opening. She pees fine and everything but there is no opening to her vagina. My doc passed me off and said these things usually open up on there own around age 3 and offered estrogen cream but I didn't take it. I thought if nothings hurting her now it will probably save her from getting vaginal infections for a short while. Anyways I'm hoping to see a specialist for her soon and have an ultrasound done. I'm terrified she doesn't have a uterus, or the rest of female parts. A doctor I work with said we should probably just have a specialist take a look at her to make sure it's not just an empty sac behind the vaingal opening.

Has anyone else ever had just a vaginal fusion? Not the labia being fused.

[Dee_007]

Hi there

I am so relieved.  My daughter has been going through exactly the same thing since she was about 4.  Since then she has had surgery to open her vagina about 3/4 times already.  She just turned 7 and she has been complaining about her vagina again.  Checked it out last night and once again it is closed.  We have taken her to a specialist who gave her the same cream which we had to apply and helped a little bit. Whats interesting is that we also took her to a homeopath who did tests on her and discovered that she was allergic to quite a few things but the big one been Yeast.....  He said that that is what is causing this to happen.  It plays a big role.  He diet needed to be adjusted and for a while it was fine.  I suggest taking your little one to a homeopath.  You really have nothing to lose.  It also seems to happen round about the same time of the year......I have never heard of this condition but our ped has told me it is normal...yeah right...nobody i spk to seems to think it is normal....anyway we are back at the doctors tomorrow.  Hold thumbs...

Dee

[kat199]

my daughter also had this when she was 4 i used the cream just for a while. it opened up on its  own my pediatrician was really great he said even if it didnt open up on its own after the cream it would when hormones kicked in the only thing to watch out for are infections, uti's i'm sure everything will be fine.

[trac777]

I am wondering when you say "closed up' do you mean there is inflammations involved? Is that why these children are being given hormone cream? I was thinking if it was some sort of inflammation wouldn't a steriod cream work better? Have they had any tests suggesting they have a hormone problem? If the problem is inflammation it could be caused by an autoimmune disorder callled Behcet's Syndrome. It is not contagious and it does not run in families. It is trigger by things like strep throat, infections, food poisoning or for unknown reasons which have caused permant damage to the immune system. The first symptom is genital inflammation. The disease later evolves to include genital sores, cranker sores in the mouth at least three times per year, then muscle or joint pain, and finally eye inflammation. It can be years before all the symptoms show up. Predisolone and other immune supressants are used to control symptoms. It is usually treated by a Rheumotologist. You can find much more information at the Behcet's Disease Association Website.

[charli299]

i just want to let you know that i had the same problem and had to use the cream to about the age of 10... my hole closed up many times but i was too young to remember how they reopened it.. i just want you to know that everything should be fine! The olny problem i have is pain using feminine products and sex... but that goes away after a few minutes.. also as for having children.. i'm 4 months pregnant and they thought it wouldn't happen.. the only difference is that cause of my small hole size that i must have a c section but besides those small things i live a perfectly normal life and there was no emotional problems.. i understood that it was rare but it made me special.. good luck and if you need to talk to someone who dealt with this first person my email address is ***@****.. good luck

[faragine]

I was born that way, I had to have an operation, and I was like 5 years old. I'm 24 now and my parents used to tell me that it was a cyst I had the operation for. I don't know why they lied to me then. But now, it is really difficult to have sexual relationships, I love kids but I am so afraid of giving birth since it hurts so much and I am afraid I'll probably will never have any. Well, what can I do about it? Nothing! I hope everything turns out GREAT for your daughter. Don't worry!!!

[Mojo9]

My 4 year old daughter suffers from constant redness and sensitivity aroudn her vulva. She's had this problem since her inner libia sealed together. She was prescribed some estrogen cream and it reopened. Since then, which has been over a year now, i've been using hydrocortisone cream 1%..prescibed by my doctor for the redness..and as soon as I don't use it..the redness and pain comes back...what am I to do? I've tried everything from her diet to unscented products..?? i'm all out of options. I am going to see my doctor this week. I'm worried for my little gril..I hope that it's nothing serious.