Surgery Covered by Insurance! 25, No Kids - Fairfax, VA

Since I was ten, I had developed a larger right labia that slowly began irritating me when I walked and exercised. I would have to "tuck it in" by placing my right labia inside of my vaginal opening and hold it in with my left labia. It would stay out occasionally but most times it slipped out and I was in pain from the chafing. The smallest bit of labia would get caught on my underwear and rub whenever I walked. It would constantly irritate me and embarrassed me which made me extremely self conscious.

Whenever I played sports (soccer, tennis, softball, cheer, etc) I would have to find restrooms to tuck my labia back in place. Sometimes when there weren't restrooms nearby, I would have to continue in pain or run to an area with less people so I could quickly adjust.

I was fifteen when I asked my doctor about seeking labiaplasty. I explained to her my situation and that it played a large role in my everyday comfort. I was already suffering from anxiety and depression and this added to my low self esteem. She looked at my labia and told me that it wasn't something to worry about and that most women suffer from the pain, adding that her labia also looked "crinkly". It was extremely discouraging and she made me feel like my pain wasn't an issue.

I spent another ten years going through the same pain from my everyday activities. I learned to adjust accordingly but the irritation was always there. Getting into sexual relationships was at times painful because the labia would get caught during sex. Eventually, after being in a serious relationship and still experiencing the pain, I saw my OBGYN with my new insurance. I'm still under my mom's plan which has very good insurance benefits/coverage. My doctor listened to my needs and concerns and stated he has done a labiaplasty before. He warned that insurance coverage of the procedure varies and didn't guarantee that it would be covered but I bit the bullet and decided that I would have to invest in this now because it was too much. He wrote a letter documenting the medical necessity of the labiaplasty and why it affected my normal functioning. We booked the surgery before finding out that my procedure would be covered completely with exception to my copays!

It's been three weeks since my procedure and I am extremely happy with the results. I no longer have any chafing or irritation and I do not worry about waddling of it gets pinched. My labia is no longer a distraction or a painful part of my body. I am ecstatic about my procedure and want to encourage women who truly have the medical necessity to have this procedure done. It is truly life changing for the positive in my situation and I hope no one ever goes through the same pain like I have.

Here are the photos of my labia pre operation.

Photos taken after my labiaplasty.