21 skirtingi normalios makšties tipai (ir nenormalios makštys): Daugelyje medicinos vadovėlių nepateikiama normalių makščių nuotraukų

Many Medical Textbooks Don’t Show Normal Vaginas

Some women aren’t sure if they have a normal vagina or not. They may talk to a healthcare professional about their concerns.

Unfortunately…

According to one study, “the general lack of professional resources means that doctors may consciously or non-consciously rely upon personal experiences and popular culture to form their opinions, as do their patients” about vulva shapes, sizes, and dimensions [23]. In short, they might not realize how common it is for their patients to have different-looking vaginas.

Another study examined 59 gynecology and anatomy textbooks, and only a single textbook documented labia minora measurements, giving a range of only 2-6mm [23]. This range is vastly different to what has been reported in actual studies of the labia minora:

• One study measuring the width (distance from body) of labia minora found sizes ranged from 11-30mm for each labia minora (17.9mm average) in premenopausal women and ranges from 8-27mm for each labia minora (15.4mm average) in postmenopausal women [24]
• Another study found that the average width (distance from the body) for each labia minora is 15mm, but that sizes varied highly, ranging from 1-42.5mm [4]
• Yet another study found large variations in the width (distance from the body) for each labia minora, ranging from 7-50mm for each labia with an average of 21.8mm width [5]
• A research study of 400 Indian women measuring individual labia minora width (distance from the body) found that they ranged from 7-49mm [6]

Pornography Also Doesn’t Show Normal Vaginas

You might think that porn is a good way to see different vaginas. But pornography is just as bad if you want to see a normal and healthy range of vulvas, especially labia minora sizes.

One study found that “online pornography and anatomy textbooks both skew towards the less-protruding end of the range” for the labia minora [25]. In other words…

If you are wondering what a vagina is supposed to look like, porn as well as many medical textbooks show a narrower range of normal labia minora sizes, which may lead you and others to think that only this narrow range is normal.

Your Vagina Is Probably Normal

When we get emails from readers worrying about whether their vagina is normal or not, they are usually worried about one specific part, often the labia.

If you are worried about one specific part (or parts) of your vagina, check the relevant section above which refers to that part, and see for yourself what is normal.