Doctors reveal surprising change you might notice with your vagina during menopause

Menopause can bring about a whole host of changes for women, from physical side effects to emotional symptoms, there can be a lot to deal with.

But one change that we hadn't heard about was the disappearing of a certain body part.

Over on TikTok, Dr Rachel Rubin, from Beyond Basics Physical Therapy, blew the entire internet's mind by revealing that the labia - which are the folds of skin around your vaginal opening - can actually disappear during menopause.

In case you didn't know, the labia majora refers to the outer lips, which are usually fleshy and covered with pubic hair, while the labia minora (inner lips) are inside your outer lips.

Menopause can bring about a lot of changes for women (Getty Stock Image)

"So these labia minora, when you're a baby, you don't have them, you grow them in puberty, and you lose them in menopause, and that's all we, like, we don't know anything about the labia minora," Dr Rubin explained.

"Is it oestrogen? Is it testosterone? Can you grow them back? Do you does everybody lose them the same way? No one has even begun digging!"

Shockingly, Dr Rubin explained that the only research we have on this specific body part is 'when people want to cut off their labia to look more like porn stars', adding: "Which, don't get me started...

"There is such a lack of research on this part of the body, so we're trying to change all that!"

People were alarmed to hear that some women can lose their labia in menopause (Getty Stock Image)

People were understandably alarmed to learn that an actual body part can disappear during menopause, especially considering nobody is entirely sure why.

One user wrote on TikTok: "So when I lose them am I supposed to put them under my pillow in like a tooth fairy situation or what?"

While another added: "Do we just find them inside our leggings like a dryer sheet?"

And a third joked: "You LOSE them?! I’m sorry… what?! I’m 41… how much time do I have left with my lips?"

Some women who had been through the menopause, however, said they were still in possession of theirs, with one adding: "I’m 56, surgical menopause 3 years ago, I can wrap mine around myself like a bat! Hope that helps!"

Others confirmed theirs had gone missing however, with someone else commenting: "I saw a TikTok that said you lose them so I checked and yep, they’ve disappeared! Shrunk away completely. Why don’t they teach us about our bodies?"

Social media users were shocked to hear about the symptom of menopause (Getty Stock Photo)

Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, explained: "We see an actual thinning and flattening out of the labia minora.

"Over time, some women completely lose their labia minora."

Interlude, which offers specialised care for common menopause and post-menopause concerns, also adds: "Around the time of menopause, your body experiences a drop in oestrogen levels which can cause changes to the vagina, bladder, and vulva - and this can include the labia majora and labia minora.

"The labia majora can become dry and wrinkly. The labia minora can lose plumpness and fullness. Sometimes, the labia minora will disappear completely."