Labial adhesions occur when the labia minora fuse together. The cause of this is uncertain and can occur just mildly or can be severe involving most of the labia. This is most common in younger females. There are usually no symptoms that accompany adhesions, but the girls can trap urine leading to irritation in the vaginal area. This irritation may cause burning while urinating, itching, or the trapped urine can lead to leakage of urine in "potty trained" patients.

Management

There are a couple of ways to take care of labial adhesions. Your doctor may prescribe for your child an estrogen cream. This promotes blood flow to the area and helps the adhesions break down easier. This medication should not be given for longer than three weeks at a time. There are some adverse side effects with the cream such as pubic hair and breast bud development in very young girls/infants. Please talk to your doctor about these things prior to your administration of this medication. Because of these adverse reactions, our doctors do not like to prescribe this medication frequently.

Minor labial adhesions can be excised in the doctor's office. Your doctor may just apply gentle downward pressure to the adhesion with a cotton-tip applicator to slowly break it down. This is usually not painful to the child and is very quick to do. It is rare that children are taken to the operating room to excise labial adhesions.

The greatest problem with labial adhesion is the high rate of reoccurrence. There are some things that you can do for your child to help avoid reoccurrences. You doctor may teach you to apply Vaseline to the area twice a day to help inhibit the reattachment of the labia. The Vaseline acts as a barrier to keep the labia from becoming sticky, and thus sticking together to form an adhesion.