Girls as young as 9 asking for labiaplasty because of porn ☹️

[Labiarynth]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/03/vagina-surgery-sought-girls-young-nine-pornography-doctors-reveal/

Aibu that this is all sorts of wrong?! There are girls in the world being forced into FGM. There are causes around the world to stop this from happening yet "In 2015-16, more than 200 girls under 18 had labiaplasty on the NHS, and over 150 of the girls were under 15."

The doctors who carried out these "operations" are just as bad as the people who cut off girl's clitorises or sew them up illegally. 😡😡

We're not suggesting children are sitting down with a dirty magazine every evening, no

It was suggested that one would be "extremely naive" to think that nine years olds, as a group, are unaware of porn.
Perhaps you move in circles where children in single digits are au fair with pornography, but for the love of fuck realise that it's not the norm.

And if you think its the norm, you're not going to be trying hard to prevent it. Do better, get better.

Thank you

I didn't know what a labia was , I remember in school they said you had your big outer lips and then smaller lips. I remember sitting looking at mine crying thinking I was missing the small ones for some reason. In reality my 'smaller ones' measured about 10cm and touched my thighs

I had labia elongation and total fusion, both diagnosed shortly after birth or so. Fusion split shortly after my first period , elongation they removed most of the inner labia and 'shaved' clitoral hood back (as what was there was effectively buried). GP said was one of the worst she'd ever seen and was horrified - at age 17 my knickers got physically stuck to me (skin entwined with lace) and needed cut off with nail scissors on the bathroom floor by my mum . I remember the gynaecologist bitch laughing and saying that happens to everyone and isn't an excuse for a designer vagina .. Thank God my GP disagreed and refered me to everyone possible (dermatology, burns and plastics, gynae) until someone helped me. Eventually sae head professor who took one look and apologised and said she would operate within 6 weeks and she did. Now I can walk comfortably , urinate and risks associated (one had a huge mole for example) all gone but the psychological effects are stuck. GP and CBT therapist trying to help me with it but it's hard :( I get wound up /upset when insee it on news , brings back horrible memories :(

Certainly though if anyone can avoid surgery they should. It was excruciatingly painful and itchy for a long time after - and hospital only gave me paracetomal/ibuprofen and insisted I get out of bed asap and sit on a plastic chair :( I got more pain relief/help after my coil fitting for God's sake (36 hour admission). GP came out day I was discharged (couldn't put my legs together for a week) and gave me stronger stuff (think codydramol, can't remember) . Was no picnic trying to sleep or go to the loo . They got a midwfie to see me at my mum's surgery as no-one else knew what was normal , midwife was lovely thankfully and very happy to help.

shouldn't I am so sorry for the horrific lack of care you received and for the continuing psychological impact of it.

That is truly dreadful treatment.

[Flowers] I asked gynaecologist if we could talk it over a couple of years ago - they said I needed sex therapy . I had one session in a room with stirrups etc which upset me . The doctor doing the therapy (another gynaecologist) said it was probably my mum's fault as she was/is disabled and she probably didn't change my nappies regularly , said these problems are caused by bad hygiene etc.

I didn't go back, funnily enough. I didn't talk to anyone about it properly until two or three months ago when hospital asked a medical student to come and talk to me as my gynae history is 'unusual'. She spoke to me for an hour , she was shocked and I sat and cried my eyes out over everything.

I would like to be able to talk to cbt therapist but finding the words isn't easy , and it's a difficult subject - she probably doesn't want to hear about my genitals and how I feel about myself now. It's not an easy thing to bring up at all. I find lots of healthcare professionals don't understand , I get examined very frequently and they often ask why I look different, 'oh was that cosmetic then ? Why would you want that?!'

I do wish I didn't 'trigger' so easily though!

Shouldnt .

I had no idea this was something you could get done on the NHS. I think i might actually need it for "medical reasons" but never thought it was worth mentioning to a doctor as no way i could afford it.

shouldn't my personal experience with CBT therapy is that the therapists aren't shockable, and are happy to listen to anything that you want to talk about. If you find one that isn't, then you should try another!

This is something that is incredibly important to your life story....if you want to talk about it and try to lessen the impact of your history on your current life then you should absolutely be able to do that.

It doesn't matter if the words don't come easily either....my therapist has listened to more stuttering and unforumlated rambling then anything else. It starts like that...but as your brain begins to process your experiences and unfreeze a bit, things get (slowly) more coherent.