Mine doesn't. There are two major differences:
1. In a cis VJ, the labia majora come together in front. In mine, they sort of go off to each side. This means that my clitoral hood is essentially the front part of the mons pubis.
2. In a cis VJ, the labia minora flank the vaginal opening on each side and do not come together in the back. In mine, they come together and meet between the urethra and the vagina, meaning they do not flank my vagina.
I've drawn some rough sketches below so you can see what I'm talking about.
Does anyone else have differences similar to these? (Or others?) I'd appreciate it if you mentioned your surgeon and/or surgery type if you respond.
(Also, I want to clarify that I am in no way unhappy. I'm thrilled to have a female bottom, and don't plan any revisions no matter what people say. I'm just burningly curious, since I hear so many people are happy with their aesthetics.)
A cisgender vag:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi946.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad304%2Fsuzi22425%2FCis-VJ_zps9633af85.jpg&hash=aaef82a9edf669749c03ff24ab93b02a38cece28)
My vag:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi946.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad304%2Fsuzi22425%2FMy-VJ_zps11ebfb07.jpg&hash=1c40700119ee6c947700128da83b23199643b874)
Yes as my husband says, all is where it is supposed to be. ;D
Just i have a nice small and neat labia minora.
Suzi, I wouldn't worry too much about it. They all come in all shapes and sizes and like snowflakes no two are the same. But it doesn't look unusual.
*A* cis woman's, yes. Not one I've ever met in person, but that's a pretty short list. :)
The bit at the bottom where the labia majora surround the vaginal opening and then sort of meet underneath it is called the "fourchette," and I do have one, although it's kind of rudimentary (there's not as much tissue there as on my wife, and I do hear it's very hard to get a good fourchette with a one-stage procedure b/c of the dilation stresses). My clitoral hood is quite distinct, and not part of the mons. Also, assuming your diagram is correct to scale, my urethra is also placed immediately above the vagina, to the point that I can't actually locate it anymore now that it's all healed up and not spraying wildly.
With that said, the biggest quirk of mine is the "small, neat labia minora" - they're much smaller than I expected, fading away well before the end of the labia majora. However, I have found photos of cis vulvas that look like this; it's not the most common type, but it's not totally unheard of even for a cis woman to entirely lack labia minora, so I quit fretting about it.
There are some sites that have photos of dozens of cis vulvas, and I did find that a huge reassurance when it came to determining if I fell within the normal *range.*
(I went to Brassard for penile inversion, 2+ years ago. It also took close to 2 years for the swelling to entirely disappear and the "details" to finalize, btw.)
Wow, I never even thought about any details like that lol. You must have done a lot of observation. :P
Nothing looks too crazy in the pic.....No 'ginas look the same, it'll be kind creepy if they did.
And that's what makes it unique :3. lol
So you don't need to worry. ^^
Let it go for about 12 months and then review the situation. Takes about that long for the full effect of surgery settle in. Up till then it'll be shifting targets as to size, shape, colour etc, etc.
In the meantime, sit back and enjoy. It's priceless.
Huggs
Catherine
Quote from: Catherine Sarah on August 14, 2014, 09:37:39 PM
Let it go for about 12 months and then review the situation. Takes about that long for the full effect of surgery settle in. Up till then it'll be shifting targets as to size, shape, colour etc, etc.
In the meantime, sit back and enjoy. It's priceless.
Huggs
Catherine
Well said. I am still amazed at the changes at 16 months out.
Quote from: Samantha007 on August 15, 2014, 07:13:07 AM
I can see changes happening. But can I ask you girls what sort of changes you saw between let's say 5 months post-op and a year?
hugs,
Samantha
Mostly swelling keeps going away and things get more defined in structure and texture.
I had a cisgirl tell me mine looks amazing and that my doctor did a great job... So, yeah. Very happy for the most part. I don't really have a clitoral hood, sadly (And my clitoris is still very much in hiding - if anything it feels like it's about a half inch *above* my labia, as there's a sensitive bump under the skin up there. >_>
But it passes muster aside from the surgical scars, so I'm okay with it.
Mine does look cis, but that isn't really saying much because, as others have noted, there is a huge variance in the wild. My surgeon (Dr. Peter Davis) says some patients like to have a little pinch put in the mons pubis to bring the labia majora together a bit more at the top, for "a more youthful appearance." This is outpatient, done months later in the revision process (if you want a revision, or he talks you into one.)
Samantha : Yeah, it was mostly swelling going down and the details looking more refined, plus the clitoral hooding relocating to really hug the clit and the vaginal opening becoming more and more recessed.
Zoe, I think that's where the clit *should* be - the inner labia should come together just below the clitoral hood, so that the lips sort of connect and "loop over" into the hood. I'd assume that lacking hooding would put the clit more or less a tiny bit above where the labia minora end.
Hi Samantha,
Quote from: Samantha007 on August 15, 2014, 07:13:07 AM
I can see changes happening. But can I ask you girls what sort of changes you saw between let's say 5 months post-op and a year?
Essentially, reduction in swelling and pelvic fat redistribution were the principle changes I've observed.
Huggs
Catherine
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 15, 2014, 02:19:27 PM
Samantha : Yeah, it was mostly swelling going down and the details looking more refined, plus the clitoral hooding relocating to really hug the clit and the vaginal opening becoming more and more recessed.
Zoe, I think that's where the clit *should* be - the inner labia should come together just below the clitoral hood, so that the lips sort of connect and "loop over" into the hood. I'd assume that lacking hooding would put the clit more or less a tiny bit above where the labia minora end.
I mean, it's half an inch up under a patch of the mons pubis. It's not even remotely connected to the labia minora.
Zoe : Yeah, I was trying to say - badly - that that seems like the correct position *anatomically,* but the lack of hooding and no connection to the labia minora will make it look a bit odd.
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 16, 2014, 10:08:02 AM
Zoe : Yeah, I was trying to say - badly - that that seems like the correct position *anatomically,* but the lack of hooding and no connection to the labia minora will make it look a bit odd.
It doesn't *look* anything. It's invisible. Hidden. Nobody's ever going to see or touch it - it hardly even counts as a clitoris, really. It's just a bump under my skin. I might as well not even have it.
...I'm depressing myself. :/
Zoe : Aww, sweetie, I'm sorry. As long as it's there, there's hope. It's mostly there for *your* enjoyment, after all. Plenty of cis women can't see theirs either, and find it (or not) by touch alone.
I wouldn't worry about it Suzi, all vaginas are unique, my husband who knows my history is amazed at how pretty neat mine is, how real it looks and how it feels, my clit is hidden under the hood, so I don't often see it unless I force apart, it's hard to see, but it's there, Iv asked him many times how I compare to other girlfriends he had over the years, and his reply, his words not mine, ''best pussy he ever had'' I bet he says that to all the girls ;)
excellent post
Quote from: ZoeM on August 16, 2014, 10:37:42 AM
It doesn't *look* anything. It's invisible. Hidden. Nobody's ever going to see or touch it - it hardly even counts as a clitoris, really. It's just a bump under my skin. I might as well not even have it.
...I'm depressing myself. :/
Ditto mine, Zoe. The clitoral head peaks up between my labia, but the bulk of my clitoris is buried underneath my mons pubis but somehow also also lies closely against the anterior vaginal wall.
I think that's the way it is in most penile inversion surgeries.
Do you have a clitoral head? for me it's tiny - only a few millimeters across. I was warned not to touch it because it's really sensitive (they're right...)
I actually *just* found what I think is my clitoral head today - a pink lump right at the top of a white opening in my vulva.
I'm pretty sure it's not my urethra, as I see that right next to the vagina (it looks very similar to the top result in the Brassard section of the Anne Lawrence site).
Quote from: ZoeM on August 16, 2014, 07:01:48 PM
I actually *just* found what I think is my clitoral head today - a pink lump right at the top of a white opening in my vulva.
I'm pretty sure it's not my urethra, as I see that right next to the vagina (it looks very similar to the top result in the Brassard section of the Anne Lawrence site).
Sounds like that's it. The top of the opening is where you'd find it. The upper wall of that opening, would then be your clitoral hood.
Quote from: ZoeM on August 16, 2014, 10:37:42 AM
It's just a bump under my skin. I might as well not even have it.
...I'm depressing myself. :/
Well, I think that's exactly the way it's supposed to work. It's supposed to be stimulated by something entering your vagina, but be hard to stimulate in some other way. My surgeon said that because ours tend to be shaped differently from cisgender women's, it might be possible to stimulate it from the front, so it's actually a little easier for us to get to.
It sounds like you have exactly what you should have.
No, it looks like someone took a baseball bat to roadkill. Haven't had too many complaints (but have had a couple :D). Thank god my surgeon is retired ::)
My clitoris I think I've figured out. It appears to be a good chunk of the edge of the glans (dorsal corona glandis) wrapped around onto itself and turned sideways. Sits nicely under the hood, and is pretty prominent. My doc mentioned from the pics I've sent that he may want to trim it down a bit in a few months. :/
http://www.upworthy.com/she-put-a-mirror-next-to-her-vagina-and-freaked-out-later-she-learned-the-truth?c=ufb (http://www.upworthy.com/she-put-a-mirror-next-to-her-vagina-and-freaked-out-later-she-learned-the-truth?c=ufb)
Bit of an old topic, but you may be interested in this.
I had noticed, like you, that my labia minora connected between the urethra and vagina. Everything worked fine, orgasms are earthshattering, and it looks good, but... it bugged me. So I brought it to my doc. (Prof. Monstrey @Belgium)
They will be redoing the labia minora to connect below the introitus 12th of jan. They say it is not always possible, because it requires labia minora to be a certain minimum length, but in my case they can do it, so. We shall see.
Hi all
Mine does not look like a cis woman's IMHO. I think my clitoral hood isn't well formed, or at least is split so my clit is always viewable (I have no complaints at all about this – my clit is reasonably large and the way the hood has heeled up is actually an advantage when having sex). My labia minora is only marginally formed as separately identifiable tissue, but there is skin in the general area (again, no complaint at all). What I don't particularly like, and is the big point of differentiation, is the L majora which finishes well above the introitus. With my legs spread, the vaginal opening is clearly viewable below the rest of the vagina and separate to it. Again (and I stress this) this is not a complaint; I understood this was the likely result of a one stage procedure. It is something I'd consider having revised but (and again I stress) I am not terribly concerned or in need of reassurance about this.
When I stand up though, I think it looks pretty comparable to a cis woman's. I have an ongoing complication which I'll have to deal with at some point, but, other than that, I am very happy with it
Peace
Sarah
As long as I don't have a penis I don't really care what it looks like.
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 14, 2014, 04:53:35 PM
There are some sites that have photos of dozens of cis vulvas, and I did find that a huge reassurance when it came to determining if I fell within the normal *range.*
This. No real lips or clitoral hood to speak of for me, and my depth is more like 3" than 4", but it doesn't look particularly unnatural and is perfectly sensate. Really not half bad for an Orchi into Pichet into a revision.
Maybe if tech advances in the future I'll have a labiaplasty or depth extension, but current surgical depth extension techniques don't satisfy me and I don't yet have material to create lips.
Also, pubic hair FTW. It's there for a reason (to keep weird bacterias from your vajayjayses. Also, to hide scars.)
Quote from: Eve87 on October 07, 2014, 12:07:32 PM
Bit of an old topic, but you may be interested in this.
I had noticed, like you, that my labia minora connected between the urethra and vagina. Everything worked fine, orgasms are earthshattering, and it looks good, but... it bugged me. So I brought it to my doc. (Prof. Monstrey @Belgium)
They will be redoing the labia minora to connect below the introitus 12th of jan. They say it is not always possible, because it requires labia minora to be a certain minimum length, but in my case they can do it, so. We shall see.
Eve sweetheart, Ive been trying to find a Monstrey experience for what seems like forever and my appointment is approaching extremely quickly. Could you please share your experience?
Quote
As long as I don't have a penis I don't really care what it looks like.
Spot on Natalie! That's at least 80% of it! :)
No way "not to have a penis is enough" for me - I want a proper Vulva and Vagina :)
I had a two stage surgery back then. So they brought together the upper two parts of the L.majora to form a hood of sorts. Sadly I have no L. minora to speak of, I noticed that this is a minority in Ciswomen, the majorits of vulvae seem to have more prominent L. minora. But with PI they would only be "plastic" anyways, not the same sensation as it would be in a proper reconstruction. I also have no clitoral hood and my clit is rather large. So I will after all this time soon have a clitoral hood reconstruction - they will basically make one from the surrounding tissue of the L. majora that already are a bit hooding the clit, but way too far away - about half an inch up from the clit. I think still, it seems to not look too much out of place. My gyn said it looks normal, the genital surgeon said it is a really good looking vulva for being reconstructed and at one gyn I sort of was overwhelmed and did not manage to out myself in time until she was looking for the cervix and did not find it - so up to that point she did not notice anything unusual. But this is all really because vulvae are just sooo different and diverse.
l'm at the point where I'd like to avoid further surgeries if at all possible. My VJ isn't perfect (but whose really is, Cis or trans?) But right now I'm suffering medical burnout and I'd like to distance myself from my doctors.
My VJ, despite the defects, is pretty awesome.
Well my vagina looks more like a regular vagina than the illustration of what you said yours looks like. If you move the "vagina' up about 3/4 of an inch and move the urethra down about 3/4 of an inch it would more resemble mine but my clit is much bigger than the picture shows.
My Gyn told me at 4 months that I was "within the range of normal" for a cis woman and I was not even completely healed at the time.
Mine looks nothing unfortunately :C Did my Op with Dr. B, and my labia minora does not part... most probably have to get a revision. Quite worried as I am also lacking a prominent clitoral hood... the glans of my clitoris is only covered by one side... wish I could post pics here for evaluation purposes.
Also, facing sensitivity issues - not sure if this is because my clitoris seems exposed. Hopefully things will turn out for the better.
Not really, but no two look the same.
Honestly I am more concerned about the scarring now than anything else. And the weird smell it sometimes has...
Scars fade and can be covered a bit by not shaving pubic hair but just shortening it. I like my odour mostly :) - Using vaginal flora supplements (vaginal tablets) occasionally helps a lot with that and of course not using vaginal douches and such
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6oKSz-IBSs
I've seen some pretty peculiar looking vaginas (before you ask, I looked at pictures prior to my SRS to see what mine might look like), and particular for cis women who have given birth, some can vary quite wildly.
As for mine, I went to see a female GP for a vaginal infection, and when she had a look, I saw her make notes about a "swollen bartholens gland" and she mentioned possible infection from insufficient hygiene during menstruation, at which point I had to correct her :)
The answer to the question "does it look normal?" very much depends on the knowledge of the person you are asking. It is astonishing how limited knowledge of the female vulva there is, among cis women, cis men and trans women as well. Even among doctors. There are of course culturally historical reasons for this. Anyway, unless one has seen many vulvas many times, all of them look mostly the same and the trans ones do not seem out of place. It's like for a central European, all Japanese people look the same :). Also it is similar to when you start doing Photoshop manipulation of photos, you start noticing such manipulations in publications where you'd notice none before.
However, once you become the rare exception and start to know the female vulva well (like for example erotica drawing artists do), you will see how the SRS vulvas do not fall into the range of natal ones, as wildly wide as it might be. There are basic anatomical mistakes, like the labia minora connecting above the clitoris instead of below it. I'm afraid this is not only caused by the limitations of the current surgical techniques, but also by the ignorance of the doctors as mentioned above. But when neither the surgeon, nor the patient, nor the partner know in detail how it should really look, everybody is happy.
Therefore, to the absolute majority of people one is going to meet after SRS, it is going to look very well... even though in fact it isn't.
I'm pre-SRS. Sometimes I tell myself that had I not seen so many, I would be happier.