Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Aunt Vadge, I’m worried.
I have a growth inside my vagina about two inches in; it’s attached to one of the walls and shaped like a skinny cucumber. I have no idea what it is – I discovered it a while ago while masturbating. I don’t have the money to go to a doctor, so I want to know if this is something serious or just another part of me. Please help!
Sincerely,
Very Worried, USA
Dear Very Worried,
Take a breath, because what you’ve found is very likely a harmless, normal part of your anatomy rather than anything sinister.
A small, soft, finger- or cucumber-shaped piece of tissue attached to the vaginal wall, that’s been there unchanged and isn’t causing pain, is most often a benign developmental leftover – for example a Gartner’s duct cyst, or a small ridge of tissue (a kind of internal vaginal septum), bits left over from the way the reproductive tract forms before birth.
It can also be a stretchier hymenal remnant, though that’s usually closer to the entrance than two inches in. The reassuring theme across all of these: they’re common, they’re benign, and a painless, stable lump like this is very rarely anything to worry about.
That said, anything new you discover inside is worth having confirmed by a professional at some point, both for certainty and peace of mind – and I hear you on the cost.
You don’t need an expensive doctor for this: in the US, a free or low-cost sexual health clinic, a Planned Parenthood, or a community health centre can examine you on a sliding scale or at no charge, and this is exactly the sort of thing they check all the time.
You don’t need to know what to say; just describe what you’ve told me, and they’ll take it from there. There’s no urgency if it’s painless and not changing, so it can wait until you can get to a free clinic – but if it ever becomes painful, grows, bleeds or changes, move it up the list.
For now, you can almost certainly file this under “a normal part of me” rather than something scary.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
