Little secrets: girls' sexual development

First days

As soon as the girl is born, she is examined by a doctor. Normally, the baby should have 2 labia minora and 2 labia majora, a free entrance to the vagina, the presence of a hymen and an opening in it - for the release of menstrual flow in the future. On the first day, the child may have bloody discharge from the vagina. It’s the mother’s hormonal background that’s acting – and soon everything goes away.

Important! Sometimes a girl is born with an overgrown hymen.
However, surgery is rarely required.

What kind of disease is this?

Synechiae of the labia minora is also called synechiae of the vulva or fusion of the labia minora. This is a condition of the child’s genitals in which the labia minora are tightly connected to each other. As a result, the vaginal opening is partially or completely closed. In rare cases, the urethra becomes blocked.

What do synechiae look like in girls? They can be detected by carefully spreading the child's labia majora apart. You will find that the labia minora are so tightly closed that they cannot be separated. This process may involve only a small area of the labia, but in rare cases they are completely connected. Between the labia minora, along the line of their connection, a strip is noticeable - this is the fusion zone.

If the baby has difficulty urinating and itching in the perineal area, and her genitals look red and swollen, she should be immediately shown to a pediatric gynecologist. In other cases there is no reason to worry. In most cases, synechiae is a normal condition that occurs between the ages of 3 months and 3 years. Much less often, synechiae form after the age of three years.

Complete fusion of the labia, which interferes with normal urination, is a rare occurrence. Usually the labia in girls are only partially connected, and the child does not experience any discomfort. Synechiae can occur in a few days or several months. The process of their formation is not felt by the child and often goes unnoticed.

Foreign and domestic doctors treat synechiae in girls differently. If foreign sources call for abandoning the treatment of synechiae (the exception is those cases when the adhesion of the labia minora provokes the development of inflammatory processes in the genitourinary area), then Russian pediatricians often try to separate the labia minora. Such an intervention is painful for the child and often leads to re-fusion of the labia. In most cases, synechiae of the labia completely disappears as the girl grows up, and parents are only required to monitor her condition and carry out all hygiene procedures correctly.

8-9 years

The mammary glands gradually form, single hard hairs appear on the pubis, and the waist is indicated. The child quickly reaches up. All this suggests that the young lady’s sex secretion glands have begun to work.

Important! Breasts, of course, don't appear overnight. First, these are small seals. Normally, they do not hurt, but the girl may complain of discomfort when touched. Also, the mammary glands never grow at the same time, so for some time one breast may be smaller than the other.

How dangerous is this disease?

Synechiae are dangerous only when they cause genitourinary disorders. If the labia minora are connected in a small area, do not obstruct the flow of urine and do not become inflamed, this condition does not harm the child’s health at all.

If the child’s labia have grown together so much that a closed space has formed in the vagina, in which vaginal discharge and urine residues accumulate, there is a high risk of developing an inflammatory process. The girl will suffer from cystitis and urethritis. This is why it is so important to monitor your child's urination.

Normally, a girl's urine stream should be directed strictly downward, and not forward or to the side. If a child suffers from pain during urination, refuses to go to the potty, or is capricious, it means that the process of formation of synechiae has reached a stage that is dangerous to health.

Many mothers are worried that the baby’s labia minora will grow together forever. It is this fear that forces parents to subject the girl to such a painful procedure as mechanical removal of synechiae. Foreign doctors believe that there is nothing to be afraid of and there is no need to torture the child again. This condition does not in any way affect the future reproductive health of the girl and does not interfere with the development of the genital organs. In most cases, this feature disappears before the girl begins her first period.

12-15 years

It is during these years, on average, that menstruation begins. The first two years the cycle begins to develop - menstruation may be absent for 2-3 months. Then the cycle should be stable - 24-35 days.

Important! If you have pain, dizziness, nausea, you need to consult a gynecologist. During the transition period, it is important to ensure that the young lady gets enough sleep and eats normally - diets can lead to hormonal imbalance, menstrual cycle disruptions and other negative health consequences.

Fusion of the labia in girls - why is it dangerous?

Various diseases of the genital organs occur not only in adult women, but also in little girls.

The most common are vulvovaginitis, anomalies of the genitals and fusion of the labia minora (synechia). Any deviation from the norm should force parents to consult a doctor.

How to determine fusion of the labia minora

The labia minora are two thin folds of skin to the left and right of the vaginal opening. They are covered by the labia majora. The skin of the labia minora is very delicate and thin, so it can become inflamed with any irritation. And elevated temperatures, a humid environment and a closed vaginal state contribute to the development of infections.

Fusion of the labia minora is easy to notice. Symptoms may include:

refusal to sit on the potty;
restlessness and straining when urinating;
the direction of the urine stream is upward;
unusual discharge from the genital tract;
redness of the skin in the genital area;
fusion of the lips is noticeable visually.

Synechiae look like thin grayish-white films that connect the labia minora. In order to notice a deviation from the norm, it is not necessary to have a medical education.

Causes of synechiae in girls

To identify the factor influencing the formation of synechiae, general urine and blood tests, smear tests from the genital organs, stool testing for dysbiosis and worm eggs, scraping for enterobiasis and blood testing for sugar are necessary.

There is an opinion that lip fusion is caused by insufficient estrogen levels. It is possible that this pathology in girls can be provoked by a hereditary factor, intrauterine infection and gestosis during pregnancy of their mothers.

The main factors causing fusion of the labia are:

improper intimate hygiene leading to the development of vulvitis;
washing with soap and applying creams;
insufficiently frequent changes of diapers and diapers, which causes irritation of the genitals with vaginal discharge and urine;
too tight and synthetic underwear;
allergies (diathesis) with rashes in the perineum and vulva area;
concomitant diseases of the genitourinary system;
metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, dysbacteriosis, helminthic infestations).

How to treat lip fusion?

Very often, synechiae do not show symptoms and go away on their own when the body begins to produce a sufficient amount of estrogen. But if the fusion of the labia minora occurs near the external opening of the urethra, it can make it difficult to pass urine. Accordingly, when urine lingers, it begins to irritate the tissues of the genital organs, causing inflammation and discomfort. From the external genital organs, inflammation can spread to the internal ones, which can subsequently lead to serious health problems, including pyelonephritis and infertility.

The main treatment method for fusion of the labia minora is the use of a cream containing estrogen. It is applied to the fusion site with light massaging movements. Usually, for recovery, it is enough to take a two-week course, after which the cream is gradually replaced with a neutral baby product for baby’s skin care without dyes, flavors, fragrances and preservatives.

Topical use of estrogen cream does not pose any danger to the girl. As a side effect, hair growth in the vulva area, its pigmentation and swelling of the mammary glands may occasionally occur, which soon disappears on its own and does not affect the child’s health.

If the fusion of the lips does not respond to conservative therapy, surgical treatment is used, the essence of which is the mechanical separation of the adhesions. This operation is simple and is performed with local anesthesia. After surgery, treatment with ointment containing estrogen is prescribed.

The success of treatment for fusion of the labia minora largely depends on literacy and scrupulousness in following the doctor’s recommendations regarding treatment and rules of hygiene procedures.

fusion, labia

Keep calm

The girl should be shown to the gynecologist at each of her significant periods - before entering kindergarten, before school, with the arrival of her first menstruation - for the purpose of prevention.

The “First Gynecologist” program is designed specifically for young ladies – girls entering puberty.

The package includes:

initial and repeated consultations with an obstetrician-gynecologist;
inspection;
bacterioscopic examination of urogenital secretions;
bacteriological examination of urogenital secretions with determination of sensitivity to antibiotics;
Ultrasound of the pelvic organs.

Synechia in infant girls

Almost from the first days of life, girls can have fused labia. It is believed that the cause of this disease is low levels of sex hormones. This should not alarm parents. Since the absence of sex hormones before puberty is the norm.

Up to about 8 years of age, relapses of the disease are possible. As a girl grows up, the genital mucosa becomes less susceptible to external irritants and more dense. And it hardly grows together.

Characteristics of groups of gynecological diseases in girls

All diseases of girls in early and teenage years are divided into several groups, according to the causes of their occurrence.

Inflammatory diseases:

Vulvitis. The disease is provoked by streptococci, enterococci, E. coli, staphylococci and other microorganisms that cause irritation and redness of the genitals. At the same time, leucorrhoea is released.
Vulvovaginitis. Inflammation of the mucous membrane and labia of the vagina with copious discharge that smells unpleasant occurs due to helminthic infestation and the entry of foreign objects into the genitals.
Colpitis (vaginitis).
Cystitis. Due to vaginal dysbiosis, a disruption in the functioning of the bladder occurs. Experienced doctors recommend not delaying treatment of the disease, as the infection can spread to the kidneys, which can lead to more serious problems for the body.

Also, in childhood girls, one can observe diseases that arise as a result of infection of the body and abnormal structure of the genital organs.

Types of gynecological diseases

They are divided into the following diseases:

candidiasis (thrush) – the source of the disease is a yeast-like fungus of the genus Candida, which is activated by decreased immunity, a stressful situation, and is also transmitted through the birth canal of the mother to the newborn child. Thrush is manifested by itching and burning in the vaginal area, discharge of a cheesy leucorrhoea with a sour odor. Candidiasis should not be treated independently - it can “develop” into a chronic form;
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by gonococcus, which affects the mucous membrane of the genitourinary system. Often, an adult woman may not know that she is infected with the disease, while infecting her daughter. It is necessary to know the signs of this disease in order to prevent the last stage of the disease, which you can read about here.
synechia - fusion of the labia minora can be congenital, as well as due to excessive genital hygiene using soap, urinary infections, “echoes” of vulvitis and vulvovaginitis, allergic manifestations;
Juvenile uterine bleeding (JUB) is observed in girls during the establishment of the menstrual cycle and is exclusively of hormonal etiology. Its signs: menstruation lasts more than a week, its frequency can be less than 21 days, there are no bloody clots in the menstrual discharge and they themselves are scarlet in color. JMC occurs due to physical and mental overload, asthenic physique and other factors;
inflammation of the uterine appendages is characterized by aching pain in the lower abdomen, which is localized on the right and left, during menstruation. The causes of this gynecological disease in girls are hypothermia, loss of immunity due to acute and chronic diseases of the body.

The mother should definitely pay attention to the absence of the menstrual cycle in her daughter, which may be associated with primary and secondary amenorrhea, endometriosis, and oncological tumors of the genital organs.