Solving Labial Adhesion in Young Girls Naturally

Hello Aunt Vadge,

My girl is 5 years old, and has labial adhesion. I was using hormonal cream, but it helped just for that time, and once we stopped using it, her labia minora closed again. It is not giving any discomfort to my daughter, so we stopped using it. Her labia minora is closed almost completely. There is just a very small opening, maybe 0.5cm long.

Now, she has started getting cracks on her vulva. They are healing fast, but they appear, then another and then another. She is not complaining that it is itchy today. I helped her to wash herself before bed, and noticed that the upper side where her clitoris was very red, and she said, sore. A tiny bit of blood was on the cotton wool when I wiped it.

What could it be? What should I use? Now I am just cleaning it with water, doing chamomile baths, and apply some Sudocrem [nappy rash cream].

And thank you…

Mother
____

Dear Mother,

Thanks so much for your email. Labial adhesion is one of modern medicine’s great mysteries; however, it definitely seems to have a link with a lack of oestrogen, as I’m sure you know. Oestrogen plays a significant role in the integrity of our skin, keeping it supple and firm.

We have a fennel pessary that can be melted down and used as a gentle, low-oestrogen balm for children. Fennel contains natural phytoestrogens, plant-based compounds that mimic oestrogen in a weaker form, which can help to support the delicate skin of the vulva. This balm offers a plant-based alternative to synthetic oestrogen creams in some situations.

If you want to support a natural increase of oestrogen instead of using oestrogen cream, you could add some servings of soy-based whole foods to your daughter’s diet. This will introduce light, low-dose, plant-based oestrogens into your daughter’s system. No need to go overboard, but something like tempeh or tofu – maybe a 10-20g serve per day to start off with – may include just enough phyto-oestrogens into her system to counteract the labial adhesion problem. You will need to do some trials here, but it should do the trick.

If there is no change, increase the serving. Once you start to see a change, do a regimen of adding soy to meals once every couple of days and see what works as a basic maintenance dose. You certainly do not want to be giving your daughter a lot of soy products over a long period of time, as its impact on her sexual development isn’t that clear, and you don’t want to take any chances.

Plant-based oestrogens act in the same way – albeit a few hundred times weaker – than human oestrogens, and while giving a lot of soy products to children is not recommended (for this very reason), there is no reason you can’t harness the very simple, easy way for you to introduce these compounds and see if it helps your daughter’s labia to remain supple and even to unstick itself without too much intervention.

It’s worth a try! It should work quickly, so you’ll likely see results within days or weeks.

If you cook tofu and tempeh regularly, you will know how to make them tasty. However, consider checking out some recipes for kids to make tofu taste good and make it fun to eat. Alternatively, you can add tofu to food after turning it into a type of cream, adding it to a smoothie, or somehow disguising it in another way. Tofu isn’t every kid’s favourite food!

Please let us know how you go – we’d love to hear your results.

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge

References¹

1.
Kim SW, Han JY, Han SJ, Kim H, Ku SY. Effect of topical estrogen cream compared with observation in prepubertal girls with labial adhesions. Journal of Pediatric Urology. Published online August 2023:403.e1-403.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2023.01.006