Understanding Labial Variation: What's Normal & When to Consult a Doctor

Many women worry that their labia aren't normal or typical, but most of the time, they shouldn't. Both inner and outer labia come in all shapes, sizes and colors--there is a great deal of benign variation from woman to woman. Also, a woman's labia are often a little bigger or longer on one side than the other, and that's normal too.

Inner Labia and Outer Labia

• Women actually have two sets of labia--the inner labia, or labia minora, and the outer labia, or labia majora. "Inner" and "outer" refer to how close the labia are to the center of the body; many women have inner labia that hang lower than the outer labia.

Average Size

• The average length of the inner labia varies from 3/4 of an inch long to two inches long, measured from the clitoral hood to the vaginal entrance. Longer and shorter labia are not "abnormal," just unusual.

Coloration

• Inner labia may be found in a variety of colors, from pink to red to purple to brown. All these variations are normal, and the color may change over the course of a woman's life, just as the size and shape of the inner labia may change over time.

Are Labia Ever Too Long?

• On extremely rare occasions, a woman may have inner labia that are so long that they cause persistent, continuous discomfort when sitting, riding a bike, or performing other routine everyday activities. Occasional discomfort is normal, however (just as a man sometimes has to adjust his testicles for comfort).

Quote

• Betty Dodson is a pioneering women's sexuality educator. She told Scarleteen: "After 30 some years of viewing women's sex organs in my workshops and private practice as a sex coach, I've shown thousands of women the beauty of their divine vulvas. MORE women have extended labia than those with small hidden ones. I love my dangles and would never part with them."