delicate situation. mums of girls advice needed.

[mumroar]

First time poster and really needing some reassurance.
I have a 2 year old daughter and today whilst I was changing her nappy I noticed her hymen is not in tact anymore. I freaked the heck out.
Let me state the facts;
Shes 25 months, goes to pre-school three times a week, only recently got really active in terms of climbing (late developer but now goes hell for leather in soft play centres. Shes in nappies, no interest in the potty.
I can't remember the last time I noticed her hymen, I think it was about four weeks ago. She has just had diarrhoea for two weeks, we've had stool samples submitted. She had infected nappy rash for four days, poonamis five times a day, lots of baby wiping and then baths.
Google is getting me no-where coz it's only talking about teenagers riding bikes and horses and being active in sports.
She knows her vagina is called a vagina. She hasn't said anything (and trust me this child can talk!), she has not been upset or tender and I have no seen ANYTHING which doesn't look normal down there until today.
Am I overreacting? Can this happen? Have any other mum's of girl's got any experience?

[minipie]

Hi OP, my DD2 is 15mo and has got skin all the way across (there is just a crease where her vaginal opening ought to be). GP has said it is probably fused labia and has referred her to paediatric urology clinic to have a look - we are awaiting the appointment. I posted on here about it and a retired paed very helpfully replied and said it was very common (but often never noticed as people don't look) and usually opened up around age 2-3. So most likely that's what's happened to your DD.

If you search for my username plus labia you'll probably find my previous thread.

[OfficiallyUnofficial]

Glad you got some useful advice! Got to say it's very easy to miss things you have no idea you should be looking for!

[Timeforabiscuit]

My daughter had a layer of skin covering her vagina, second daughter so knew it didnt look "normal" but convinced myself she had no vagina

Felt like a right idiot when the lovely gynaecologist took a glance 4 Weeks later and said leave for a year or two and she might need a cream after potty training.

I did have a check by a doctor post birth, but he seemed ill at ease undoing a babygrow.

[NoMudNoLotus]

O bless you OP.

for you. I hope you feel less anxious.

[ArriettyMatilda]

Hymen not home

[ArriettyMatilda]

Nature's way of keeping poonamis out is holding the baby in a squat position to poo (knees bent and legs held up to tummy). Poo goes nowhere near the vagina/vulva/urethra if you do this.

I have looked inside my dd vagina only when she was little and she'd had a poonami in her nappy. I believe she has a hole in her home but I believe not all hymens are holeless and it never got any bigger from when I last looked. Sounds like your dd situation is different.

[mumroar]

Post birth check didn't look at her bits. Grr.
Will go to gp on Monday. What a bloody mix of emotions the last 8 hours has been. Thankyou ladies. I'm so glad I posted.

[MyDobbygotgivenasock]

No, it's normally looked for at that post birth check when they look for a patent anus, general bits and pieces check. If they missed it then and you didn't report any concerns there'd be no need for hcps to be looking.
If she has been weeing without issue and it is all as it should be now then that's fine, imperforate hymen particularly is often only picked up when menstruation starts and flow is impeded because it otherwise hasn't caused an issue and she's a few years off that. If you aren't sure then a check by an hcp should put your mind at rest or if anything does need to be done (unlikely) then it will be.
Mother Nature is a bit lax about where poo goes in my experience!

[mumroar]

I thought it was natures way of keeping the poonamis out of her lady bits!!

[GrimmauldPlace]

Don't feel stupid op, I had the same fleeting panic when my DD's fused labia parted. Only I didn't know it was a fused labia. I'd never changed a girls nappy before she came along and as the Dr's and hv had never mentioned the fused labia I just presumed that's what little girls looked like down there! My dmum soon calmed me down and had a little snigger I should imagine.

[MyDobbygotgivenasock]

Cross posted as my internet is slow tonight. I hope you're feeling more reassured.

[dataandspot]

When I noticed I went to the gp. We waited for a hospital appointment but my daughter had an accident on play equipment and hurt between her legs. Painfully it opened! So she was not a baby!

I felt guilty that I hadn't noticed anything but I think it must have opened and closed.

It can obviously cause problems if not spotted and menstration starts. My dd won't let me check anymore do I hope it has stayed ok!

I think it might have been called fused labia?

[mumroar]

Apart from her birth nobody has ever looked at her bits at any checks. Should they??

[MyDobbygotgivenasock]

Fused labia can be missed at post birth checks. In order to see her hymen you would have to separate her labia and it would only be a complete covering of the vaginal canal if she had an imperforate hymen, something that does need to be corrected if her growth and development does not naturally rupture it (physical growth and change can do this to all types of hymen regardless of activities or tampon use).
While I understand your concerns it certainly sounds like she has had a slight abnormality which was missed at her check that has naturally corrected itself as she has matured. The vulva is not meant to be sealed, no.

[JinkxMonsoon]

I don't think the OP should be accused of looking at her DD's genitals too closely. She's a mother, she isn't taking an unhealthy interest

I think it was probably fused labia then. I'm pretty sure I've been able to see the entrance to my DD's vagina in the past (it's been a while since she was in nappies) so the fact you can see your DD's isn't a worry, OP.

The vaginas of little girls aren't supposed to be "closed off" by the hymen. I think that's perhaps what you thought was normal, but it isn't

[mumroar]

Dataandspot THANKYOU. It's exactly this. God I feel stupid. Still go to gp? Or not?

[AnyFucker]

Baby girl's labia very often give the appearance of being closed. That is not the same as a hymen which is higher up and not usually all the way across the "gap"

As they grow the labia part naturally

It's normal and probably been accelerated by all the extra bum wiping etc recently

In the absence of any other worries, rest assured all is well

[wevecomeonholidaybymistake]

No it's not meant to be.

[dataandspot]

Children can be born with the skin of the hole fused together. It happened to my dd. It opened naturally.

If it doesn't you can be prescribed hormone cream or be dealt with surgically.

The skin can stick together again do keep an eye out for it.

Don't feel bad my gp missed it at her post birth check!

[mumroar]

There was no way TO look inside. Everything was covered/closed. Is it not meant to be??

[OfficiallyUnofficial]

3 girls, you can't see anything and if you could REALLY shouldn't be looking that much

I would say listen to PPs there was something that shouldn't have been there anyway and a trip to the GP is in order.

[mumroar]

Maybe I'm not using the right term then. I will visit the gp on Monday. It looks different today than how it did four weeks ago, and I know people are saying they've never noticed/looked that closely but something which was apparently closed/covered is now open! So there's a change! And I can't figure out whether it's an abnormality or what!

[SoupDragon]

I am fairly certain you can't see the hymen unless you look inside.

It does indeed sound like your DD had fused labia which has corrected itself.

[exWifebeginsat40]

is this a thing? surely this isn't a thing? my daughter's hymen and i have never been introduced.

[mumroar]

Maybe I'm not using the right term then. I will visit the gp on Monday. It looks different today than how it did four weeks ago, and I know people are saying they've never noticed/looked that closely but something which was apparently closed/covered is now open! So there's a change! And I can't figure out whether it's an abnormality or what!