How much does your vagina cost you?

How much does your vagina cost you?

IT sounds like every girl’s worst nightmare — a woman’s labia fused together due to a lack of sex after menopause.

The Japanese woman was weeing out of a “pinhole” and had a build-up of urine in her vagina because she wasn’t able get rid of it all when she went to the toilet.

But she claims she hadn’t experienced any pain or discomfort, which is why she hadn’t raised the issue with a doctor.

Her condition only became apparent during a PET scan at Tohoku University Hospital for her stage four oesophageal cancer.

The scan picked up an abnormal reading around the 76-year-old’s genitalia and further investigation revealed her labia had fused together.

The woman had given birth vaginally twice and had no history of infection or pelvic trauma, two common causes of labial fusion.

Gynaecologists believe her condition, caused by a lack of the female sex hormone oestrogen, would have been picked up sooner had the woman been having sex.

“Inspection of her external genitalia showed that her clitoris was normal in size, and the labia majora and anus were visualised however, the urethral meatus and vagina orifice were not seen on careful inspection of her vulva,” the report in the Journal of Medical Case Reports said.

“On palpation of her external genitalia, there was a pinhole opening at the midpoint between her clitoris and anus.”

Doctors inserted a catheter to drain the excess urine and used an oestrogen cream to help restore her vagina.

The woman’s labia was separated under anaesthesia and her condition has not reoccurred.

Labial fusion occurs when the small inner lips around the entrance to the vagina become sealed together, according to the NHS.

In some cases it can completely seal the opening to the vagina.

It is not clear what causes the condition but it is often thought to be the result of inflammation around the vagina, also called vaginitis.

A lack of oestrogen, which occurs during menopause, can also cause the vulva to become sticky, meaning the lips can stick together and gradually become fused.

A woman is considered to be in menopause when they have not had a menstrual cycle for 12 months — meaning she is coming to the end of her reproductive years.

Menopause is caused by a decline in the female sex hormones, which can cause vaginal burning — especially during sex.

The lack of oestrogen can also cause the muscular walls of the vagina to begin to waste away, as can a lack of sex.

This condition is known as vaginal atrophy.

But increasing blood flow to your nether regions — like when you climax- can help keep things in working order.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission.