Anatomy Question

I know how confusing the female vagina is. I didnt even know what mine looked like until I had a prolapse and then I looked at it several times a day. I have a bulge at the top which is my cystocele. Its a pretty good size bulge. Thats the only bulge I have at the opening. Its soft and moves up and down and all around. Sometimes its there and sometimes its not. Im working on keeping it up more than down. The other bulges Im not sure about. Hope that helps at least some.

I would also like to know how a non-prolapsed vaginal opening looks like... Like is the urethral opening inside or outside?

I have both a cystocele and a rectocele. With the cystocele I see like almost 1 inch of wrinkly tissue at front. When it is this big I see nothing on the other side. When it is smaller I see a marble-sized pink thing on the back. But then my vagina is quite open on the back wall because my stitches did not hold there...

Isn´t the whole point with prolapse that in a non-prolapsed state you have the same view when lying and when standing while with prolapse you might see 'more' when standing...

I have just checked: when lying down I have two little pink things front and back but nothing else...

It is amazing how I had no idea of the whole thing down there before the birth of my second child!!!

In a non prolapsed vagina the urethral opening is on the outside - it looks like a little hole in the front- right above that is the clitoris- a little mound of flesh. youngmommyoftwo- I have those 2 fleshy bits at the front too. and they do go away when I lie down- and they seem to have a dent in the middle of both. I think the balls are there for everyone but they stay on the inside -when my cystocele is significant then they are there but in the morning especially if I had sex that night before going to bed they are gone.
If you look at your vagina while standing and then bend over the marbles should disappear- and so should the prolapse.
I also had the experience of stitches not holding- that is so frustrating.
A non prolapsed vagina - that has never had a baby looks much different from a non prolapsed vagina that has had a baby (or in my case anyway). So the never birthed variety looks just like a small opening. After baby #1 the opening was larger. and now with prolapse- well probably you all know how that looks:)

Don’t jump to conclusions, UKmummy! I think treatment (whether hernia or vein) would be pretty difficult, so it’s a blessing it causes you no discomfort. We all have to live with our little lumps and bumps, but trying to get an actual diagnosis would help put your mind at rest.

Thanks Christine.

You are right I have to be careful of my tendency to be a bit of a hypochondriac these days! It is easy to let the musings over lumps and bumps take one over a bit sometimes.

I am so glad that someone asked about the little balls. I too have wondered about them. One dr. told me that what I was seeing was (I think it was a laxed muscle which holds the bladder). Another dr. told me that what I was seeing was rements of my hymen. For goodness sake, BIG DIFFERENCE.

Christine, someone a few posts ago made reference to not knowing what a normal vagina looks like "pre-prolapse". I too wonder being that I only took a peak (well lets face it, I look a lot now) after being diagnosed. Would it be possible to post some photo's so that we can compare before & after shots? Hopefully that isn't a crazy question.

I just don't understand AT ALL what I am looking at.

Thank you!

- Lilly Anne

Youngmommyoftwo...yes, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I have raised the issue once again with my "staff" (one bedragled husb) and we will work on creating a protected prolapse gallery.

In re-reading this thread I realize the two "marbles" you are asking about may be in the front and back vaginal wall. I read it as at the sides of the opening.

I’ve deleted my previous posts so as not to add to the confusion! We have no way of knowing what anyone’s bumps might be, but “marbles” in front and back that increase in size throughout the day are classic signs of cystocele/rectocele – the most common presentation of prolapse.

No, I can’t evaluate your condition as I have no clinical experience in this area and am not qualified to do so. Get evaluated by your doctor and be relieved of the burden of not knowing.

why do you have raw open skin?

I have that too. I think it is the vaginal wall turned inside out by the prolapsed bladder, in my case anyway.

the inside of the vagina is similar to the inside of your mouth. it shouldn't be raw open skin.
do you mean the vaginal lining is being rubbed against your clothing until its raw and open? that would worry me a bit, open skin is never a good thing.