What Do You Mean Our Labia Minora Disappear After Menopause?!
Let’s just say it: WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY GO WHERE, JESSICA?!
That was the collective scream echoing through Instagram after a now-viral reel showed a woman claiming her labia had vanished after menopause. In the comments, chaos ensued:
“Take lots of pictures. They grow up and move out so fast.”
“I made a purse from mine! I call it a snatchel.”
“Labia Nomora still has me in a chokehold.”
The internet did what it does best—turned shock into comedy gold. But also? We started Googling. Because wait… this wasn’t a joke?
Turns out, it’s not.
So… Can Your Labia Minora Actually Shrink or Disappear After Menopause?
Yes. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is called vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA)—or genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), if you’re fancy—and it’s incredibly common. Up to 50% of postmenopausal women experience it, and one of the clinical findings is that “the labia minora may recede.” In other words: they can shrink and become less visible over time due to a dramatic drop in estrogen.
Per the University of Nebraska Medical Center, GSM affects the labia, vagina, urethra, and bladder. Estrogen helps keep these tissues thick, moist, and elastic. When estrogen levels tank—as they do in menopause or post-ovary removal—the tissue becomes thin, dry, pale, and fragile.
So no, they don’t “fall off” like some kind of cursed puberty prize. But they do lose volume, shape, and definition. Some women report looking down and wondering where the hell their parts went. And honestly? Fair.
Why Has No One Warned Us?
Dr. Rachel Rubin, a board-certified urologist and sexual medicine expert, recently went viral for saying:
“These labia minora—when you’re a baby, you don’t have them, you grow them in puberty, and you lose them in menopause.”
That TikTok now has over a million views, with women across the comments section asking the obvious:
“DO WE GET MONEY FOR THEM LIKE BABY TEETH??”
Dr. Rubin later explained that doctors often aren’t trained to look at or examine the vulva. In fact, she said on Instagram, “When I was in med school, we were allowed to do one pelvic exam on one person and were told to stay away from the clitoris so as not to make the patient ‘uncomfortable.’”
This lack of medical education trickles down hard. Many women don’t know about labial changes until they’re living it—freaking out in silence or getting gaslit at the doctor’s office.
Reddit Reacts: The Silent Epidemic of “Where TF Did My Labia Go”
On Reddit, the post-menopause subreddit has become part support group, part scream-into-the-void confessional:
“They acted like I was insane when I asked where were my parts.”
“I wanted vaginal estrogen cream. She said, ‘everything looks healthy down there to me’… I now have a UTI.”
“My clitoris is almost completely numb. I can’t have an orgasm 99% of the time. I’m 44.”
Another woman added:
“We’ve been obsessing over this 24/7 for years. Our doctors spent 15 minutes on us.”
This isn’t just about labia. It’s about the erasure of women’s experiences and the failure of the medical system to address even the most basic facts of our bodies.
What Labia Minora Shrinkage Means for Your Health
According to the Mayo Clinic and the North American Menopause Society, the receding of the labia minora after menopause isn’t just cosmetic. The inner lips help protect the vaginal and urethral openings. As they thin out, you may experience:
- Increased vaginal dryness and irritation
- Pain during sex (dyspareunia)
- More frequent urinary tract infections
- Loss of sensation, elasticity, and comfort
Vaginal estrogen can help. So can moisturizers, lubricants, and in some cases, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) therapy. But as many women pointed out, even getting a prescription is often a battle, especially when insurance doesn’t want to cover it, or providers downplay the symptoms.
Why We Don’t Talk About the Labia Minora After Menopause
The silence runs deep. Dr. Stephanie Finley, an OB-GYN interviewed by the New York Post, said the labia minora aren’t the only parts that shrink. Women may also lose pubic hair, volume in the mons pubis, and definition in the labia majora and clitoris. But because so few women talk about it—and fewer doctors explain it—many just think it’s “in their head.”
Even now, Rubin notes, most vulva-related research focuses on cosmetic surgery or aesthetics, not function or health.
And still, one of the top Reddit comments summed it up best: “My parts are missing!!!”
