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Dear Aunt Vadge,
I have an inch-long tear near my vaginal opening. I was swimming in a river and jumped off a 30-foot bridge. There’s mild bleeding and slight soreness, nothing excruciating. I don’t have health insurance, so the hospital isn’t a good option. There’s nothing loose, just a slit — it doesn’t seem too deep but I’m not certain.
I didn’t hit anything; I was centred in the river. I think my swimsuit put too much pressure against the skin and tore it.
Yours,
Jumper
Age 19, United States
Dear Jumper,
That makes complete sense — hitting the water at speed from a 30-foot jump can force a swimsuit hard against the vulva, and a sudden stretch like that can split the delicate skin near the opening, exactly the inch-long slit you’ve found.
The reassuring signs are all in your favour: mild bleeding, only slight soreness, nothing loose or gaping, and it doesn’t seem deep. Superficial tears there heal well on their own, usually within a week or so, as long as you keep them clean and don’t reopen them.
So the care is simple: rinse gently with plain warm water once or twice a day, pat dry, wear loose cotton, and avoid sex, tampons or anything inside until it’s fully healed. If it stings when you pee, pour a cup of warm water over the area as you go to dilute the urine.
Keep an eye out for the signs that would change the plan — bleeding that picks up again or won’t stop, edges gaping open, increasing pain, or spreading redness, swelling, heat or pus (infection).
I hear you on insurance and the hospital being out of reach, so if any of those do happen, a Planned Parenthood, community health centre or urgent-care clinic can check a tear like this far more cheaply than an ER, often on a sliding scale.
But for a shallow slit that’s barely bleeding and only mildly sore, gentle home care and a week of patience are almost certainly all it needs.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
