I found this very interesting.
I called up a distant friend today who had a little girl a few months ago (maybe 4 months??) I asked how she's doing and the mom said "funny you should ask...we just had the weirdest thing happen to us at a WBV" I guess that the baby's labia was starting to "grow together" (I'm thinking she means something to similar to adhesions on a boy) I asked what the dr said. Apparently the dr told her that by no means was she to try to force it apart, so as not to form any scar tissue from tearing. Instead she was given a steroidal cream to use on it (I'm thinking probably an estrogen cream)
Huh. What do you know? Immediately my mind went to "what if this baby had been a boy?" What would have been done instead? The dr would have ripped the foreskin back, causing it to bleed and eventually form scar tissue. Would have told the mom she HAD to retract it at every diaper change "or else". Would have insisted on circing if it hadn't already been done.
Funny double standard, huh? Protect our little girls' labias, but mutilate the heck out of out boys' foreskins.
I called up a distant friend today who had a little girl a few months ago (maybe 4 months??) I asked how she's doing and the mom said "funny you should ask...we just had the weirdest thing happen to us at a WBV" I guess that the baby's labia was starting to "grow together" (I'm thinking she means something to similar to adhesions on a boy) I asked what the dr said. Apparently the dr told her that by no means was she to try to force it apart, so as not to form any scar tissue from tearing. Instead she was given a steroidal cream to use on it (I'm thinking probably an estrogen cream)
Huh. What do you know? Immediately my mind went to "what if this baby had been a boy?" What would have been done instead? The dr would have ripped the foreskin back, causing it to bleed and eventually form scar tissue. Would have told the mom she HAD to retract it at every diaper change "or else". Would have insisted on circing if it hadn't already been done.
Funny double standard, huh? Protect our little girls' labias, but mutilate the heck out of out boys' foreskins.
: Although no one suggests amputating the labia, doctors are often ignorant about them, too. For starters, some baby girls do get their labial adhesions forcefully ripped apart. For seconds, labial adhesions can be treated with a "watch and see" approach -- no need to do a steroid cream unless the adhesions are preventing/obstructing urination. Most baby girls start producing their own estrogen around age 2 and most labial adhesions will clear up on their own.
