5,000 Vulvas

I tried to estimate how many gynecological exams I’ve done. 

• Pre-medical shadowing: 10 vulvas
• Medical school: 300 vulvas
• Residency: >2,000 vulvas
• Fellowship: >1,000 vulvas
• First job: >1,000 vulvas
• Second job: >2,000 vulvas

 I have probably seen over 5,000 vulvas between medical school, residency, fellowship, and in my career as a gynecologist. Women otherwise really don’t see each other’s vulvas and the vulvas that a person might see in pornography tends to be one “type,” of vulva with very short or no labia minora. Unlike men, we don’t really see each other’s vulvas in the gym locker room and we have to do yoga with a mirror to look at our own. We would actually have to bend over and look up awkwardly to see someone else’s vulva and we simply cannot see our own with a mirror. 

What if you don’t have a mirror that you can get between your legs and is large enough to see your own genitalia? The mirrors that I buy for my clinic are typically meant for looking under cars. Seriously! 

So how would any woman who is not in a medical field know what “normal,” is. How (unfortunately) powerful it is for a medical professional to tell a woman that her vulva is “normal” or “typical.” Health care providers should not be gatekeepers of defining what is a normal size or shape. We should trained in picking up things that might be concerning for cancer or disease, but that’s it! As a woman, you possess the ability to know yourself and understand yourself—even your vulva. ☺ 

If you want to see more vulvas and the wide variety that is out there. I encourage you to check out the labia library.

And if you want to check out your own and need a good mirror, I stole this idea from my hair stylist! https://a.co/amcwHhn