Is My Vagina Too Short? Understanding Your Body

Author: Jessica Lloyd
Senior Naturopath | BHSc(N) | ISSVD, ISSWSH, BSSM, ATMS

Last reviewed: November 9, 2025

Hi Aunt Vadge,

So here’s the deal: I’m 18 years old and I haven’t had sex yet. I have been fingered a few times by my boyfriend, and it did hurt a bit because I wasn’t turned on, but when I am wet I barely feel it. I can feel max two fingers until I feel that I hit a wall (the hymen?).

I know how to arouse myself with the clitoris and all that, and when I’m wet, I can fit up to two fingers in my vagina without really feeling pain. The thing is though that every time I insert a finger, something really hard, like a barrier, stops it, and it feels like there is no way it can pass that wall.

I recently tried to insert a tampon. I tried everything: I was comfortable, I used lube, had a lot of blood flow (my finger entered easily, but again, up to a point). I tried a lot of angles. The fourth time I tried, the tampon went almost all the way in, but it felt really uncomfortable, and I know it is supposed to go much deeper, and it was hitting a wall again.

I couldn’t put it any deeper, and it really hurt until I decided to remove it and pulling it out hurt a lot too. Do you think there’s a problem with me?

The gynaecologist saw me a few years back and everything was fine, but I didn’t know about these issues back then. I feel I tried everything and I’m just scared… could I have a problem like a short vagina? And if a thing that small hurts me so much, then how is it going to feel when I have sex?

I have virgin friends who didn’t hurt a bit… why is this happening to me?

Yours,
Shorty

______

Dear Shorty,

Thanks for your email. I can understand why you might be worried – having a short vagina would be quite the surprise, and as you already know, it’s not impossible! The only way to know for sure is to see your doctor and be examined, as unfortunately, the internet isn’t useful for pelvic exams!

Your doctor will be able to help you understand what’s happening and whether your insertion technique needs adjusting or if you require further investigations. There are numerous options to explore, but it should be fairly obvious to your doctor what’s happening fairly quickly.

It sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of experiments yourself, and the next logical step is to have an expert assess you.

You mention you are concerned you may have an anatomically ‘short vagina’, which is a legitimate possibility, though rare. Some people have genuinely short vaginas, and that’s how their body was built, but there is a difference between a normally-formed but short vagina and a vagina that has a true blockage.

There can also be anatomical differences from when we are formed in the womb that can result in an incompletely formed vagina¹ or a transverse vaginal septum.² A super thick hymen³, a bulge from another nearby organ, or a prolapse⁴ might also be considered by your doctor.

You’re in good hands with your gynaecologist! Whatever the outcome, there are solutions.

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge

References

1.
Wolffenbuttel K, Dessens A, Madern G, Van Den Hoek J. Short Vagina In Adolescents With 46 Xy-Dsd: Vaginal Dilation As First-Line Treatment. Journal of Pediatric Urology. Published online April 2009:S38. doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2009.02.046
2.
Giannakaki AGI, Baroutis D, Kalampalikis A, Michala L. Congenital Uterine Anomaly with Concurrent Longitudinal and Transverse Vaginal Septa: Presentation of Two Cases. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published online August 2025:481-484. doi:10.1016/j.jpag.2025.01.171
3.
Padhi M, Tripathy P, Sahu A. Microperforate hymen presenting with incomplete abortion: A case report. J of Obstet and Gynaecol. Published online June 21, 2017:1353-1355. doi:10.1111/jog.13347
4.
Jelovsek JE, Maher C, Barber MD. Pelvic organ prolapse. The Lancet. Published online March 2007:1027-1038. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60462-0