Labiaplasty

[JanT]

My personal opinion: proceed cautiously! My next door neighbor's friend was in good shape, but unhappy with the little bulge around her belly button. She went in for liposuction, and that night a blood clot lodged in her heart and killed her. Surgery is surgery, and there are risks. Just be sure that the pros outway the cons for you. Good luck, whatever you choose.

[RoadRaven]

My suggestion echoes the other girls here...

Get loads of opinions on whether surgery is recommended, desirable or useful...
Surgery is surgery, and anything invoving anaesthetic and a knife involves risks...

Proceed cautiously and look at all possible options before considering the possibility of trimming your girly bits...

[MountainandRoad]

thanks for the comments, this forum is really great for discussing things you can't bring up with anyone else. and its absolutely true Any surgical procedure carries risk, which was what I was asking about. Was wondering if anyone else has had this problem, and has gotten surgery. Having been through a few other surgeries now, what is really key is the doctor...one needs to know without doubt, they are in competent hands...still, there is no life without risk.
How do you deal with not being able to have sex, runner girl? That must be a tough one...I'm almost in the same boat, since I really don't want anyone to see this, its not THAT weird, but I'm self conscious about letting anyone see it, so I"m living the life of a nun...LOL

[Yasmin]

Sorry to read of your dilemma Mtn&Road.I cannot advise you firsthand as I don't have that problem. However, my husband is a surgeon & I asked him about it once after I'd read it in a magazine. He doesn't perform this type of surgery (he's a neurosurgeon) but has heard about the procedure. I thought it was just a matter of trimming a little skin, but he says it's more complicated than that. He has heard of "stuff ups" & would advise anyone to thoroughly shop for a good surgeon. Don't go with the first one you see but get at least 3 opinions. I know this is time consuming (& you sound like you want it over & done with) but it'll be a life time of relief if you pick the right person... & a life time of hell if you don't.
You're right, the girls here are terrific when it comes to discussing things you can't bear to discuss with anyone else. I can feel your anxiety & I wish you all the best whatever you decide to do.

[Irulan]

since I really don't want anyone to see this, its not THAT weird, but I'm self conscious about letting anyone see it, so I"m living the life of a nun...LOL

um, how do you know you are or not not within the range of "normal"? Or is this just a choice you are making on your own, cycling issues aside?

i.

[Eaglewalker]

I must preface my remarks by saying that this is not in any way intended as a criticism of MountainandRoad, who may in fact have a real problem.

When I saw the title of this topic, I thought, "What? It can't really mean what it sounds like?" So I did some research on the Internet, and was horrified and sickened to discover that American women are choosing to engage in the female genital mutilation that is perpetrated on girls in some parts of Africa, and is generally considered an outrage. There were a couple of web sites with "before" and "after" photos, and 90% of the pictures were of normal, healthy vulvas -- but they were the vulvas of adult women in the "before" pictures, which were diced up in order to look like the vulvas of pre-pubescent girls in the "after" pictures.

I'm thinking hell; I'm thinking handbaskets.

From the sports angle, I'm really confused. What the average man has between his legs is far larger than what any woman has between her legs, but I have never heard of a man wishing to have his manly parts removed in order to prevent chafing. Maybe I'm just reading the wrong magazines?

[RoadRaven]

Like Eaglewalker, I am stunned anyone would consider this for any reason other than purely medical... we have seats with channels, we have wider seats to suit our hips so we are positioned well, we have padded shorts in many shapes and styles...

Which is why I will reiterate my earlier comment - get loads and loads of opinions before you even begin to consider thinking about saying maybe to this - the potential for constant pain is huge...

And regarding the "range of normal" comments in several posts... again, I support the questioning about how does one know? Many of the girly mags/web-sites (which are the easiest place to find pix and make comparisons) are "touched up" (scuse the almost-pun)... uneven lips, extra wrinklybits and even colours are edited... and this gives completely "neat" but completely unrealistic ideas of "perfect"...

And Eaglewalker... its not just Africa that still mutilates girls (sometimes as young as 3) and women's genitals... it also happens in some parts of Asia, and in some parts of the Middle East... often without the use of anaestheticor hygiene as we know it in Western hospitals.

[Eaglewalker]

I'd forgotten about the Middle East -- didn't know about Asia -- excuse me while I go find a closet to hide in while I have a nice quiet freak-out moment.

[amg]

And regarding the "range of normal" comments in several posts... again, I support the questioning about how does one know? Many of the girly mags/web-sites (which are the easiest place to find pix and make comparisons) are "touched up" (scuse the almost-pun)... uneven lips, extra wrinklybits and even colours are edited... and this gives completely "neat" but completely unrealistic ideas of "perfect"...

And Eaglewalker... its not just Africa that still mutilates girls (sometimes as young as 3) and women's genitals... it also happens in some parts of Asia, and in some parts of the Middle East... often without the use of anaestheticor hygiene as we know it in Western hospitals.

I read somewhere that the reason girly mags have women with smaller labia was because of some law that decided larger labia were more provocative and so were too suggestive to have in the magazines...and so over the years people have been "programmed" to see only the one type as the ideal woman's genitalia. I'll have to see if I can find where I read that - I'd done a Google search one day after reading that some plastic surgeons are offering labiaplasty as a cosmetic procedure. I think it's one of the signs of the huge effect mass media has on our lives Before, no one knew what labia were "supposed" to look like, so there was no right or wrong way to look. Now we have to look like the women in magazines, because isn't that how the "beautiful" people look?

However I can see how someone might want to get it done if there was a definite physical reason. That's a delicate area, and constant irritation might make it more prone to infection, wouldn't you think?

A little addendum...heard a documentary on the radio a while ago...genital mutilation often involves removal of the entire clitoris and the stitching up of the vagina - a bit more extreme than labiaplasty - although both make me want to cross my legs!

PS - why is this discussion under nutrition??