What Does It Mean If I Don't Have Inner Labia?

[Guest Xren]

I looked at that area closely for the first time in my life today, and I don't seem to have inner labia at all.

Though I'm physically female and I did start menstruating at puberty, etc., I've noticed a lot of things about my body over time that seem slightly off. At thirteen I had a light moustache and a small hair trail from my pubic region to just above my navel. My clitoris was kind of big, and it extended past my outer labia sometimes. Once, long before I began hormones, I had a test of hormone levels and my testosterone count was high--though the doctors were very vague about the results. I reacted horribly to HRT when I did start it, too. I have never been regularly examined, because I was and still am squeamed out by the thought, but I have seen gynecologists for other reasons. They didn't mention anything abnormal, but then, they didn't mention anything not abnormal either. I got a hysterectomy last summer and nothing out of the ordinary was mentioned, but there wasn't any talk of anatomy at all beyond the generalities of what the procedure involved.

So today, out of curiosity, I looked and there's definitely something out of the ordinary about those parts. I don't know if this means I have an intersex condition, but I'm wondering what it could be indicative of, if anything. I know almost nothing about intersexed conditions beyond what I've googled, but at times I've suspected I might have one. Is it possible that I might, but it's been overlooked?

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hi Xren,

I would directly ask your gynecologist your questions. I think that person would be the exacly right person to ask. I am not familiar enough with anatomy to be able to answer your question (sadly). I wish I could answer your question, but physiology is not my field.

On another note... I love your name... Xren. That is a really cool name

I hope you find your answers.

Love

Brenda

[Guest N. Jane]

What you describe sounds like your androgen level was probably a bit higher than normal, possibly from before birth, but both sexes have some natural level of the opposite sex hormones so that isn't unusual. There is a HUGE range in 'normal' female genitalia so that isn't out of the ordinary either. The fact you went through puberty normally and menstruated naturally pretty much rules out any significant degree of Intersex.

(All human foetuses start out with the same tissues to develop either male or female. If something goes amiss in differentiation the first casualty is usually fertility.)