Women have taken to social media to express their upmost horror after learning of one of the lesser-known characteristics of the menopause, which affects the genitalia.
In TikTok videos watched tens of thousands of times, users told how they were ‘shook’ by the discovery that the hormonal change can cause part of the vulva to ‘shrink’.
Research has long shown that for some women, the decline in levels of oestrogen can make the external tissues, called the labia, thinner and less lubricated.
This, according to the NHS, can make the labia ‘appear smaller’, a condition known medically as genitourinary syndrome or GSM.
Other common symptoms of GSM include vaginal or vulvar dryness, as well as an uncomfortable sandpaper-like sensation during sex, and even tearing of the vagina or vulva.
Tiktokers have filmed their hilarious reactions to learning about the fate that soon awaits them, including wondering if their underwear will no longer fit them.
In one video watched almost 30,000 times, a US TikTok user said: ‘Who was going to tell me that we lose our labia during menopause?
‘I didn’t know that and I would have had another crisis.’
In TikTok videos watched tens of thousands of times, users told how they were ‘shook’ by the symptom suffered by millions of women experiencing ‘the change’
Another video , by 39-year-old TikTok user Paige in New York, said: ‘It’s yet another thing we have to look forward to. You thought menopause, hot flushes and vaginal dryness were enough. No, shrinking labias’
Another video, by 39-year-old TikTok user Paige in New York, said: ‘It’s yet another thing we have to look forward to.
‘You thought menopause, hot flushes and vaginal dryness were enough. No, shrinking labias.’
She told her 152,000 followers: ‘Apparently, when you start to go through the menopause your oestrogen levels dip and your labias shrink.
‘Your lips thin out. There’s not a plumper you can buy at Sephora to make them bigger. They just shrink which I guess makes sense.
‘Some people say they almost disappear.
‘Does that mean that underwear is going to fit differently?’
A third British user also said: ‘I’ve just found out that when you start the menopause your labia can shrink and disappear.
In one video watched almost 30,000 times, a US TikTok user said: ‘Who was going to tell me that we lose our labia during menopause?’
A fourth US-based TikTok account also told her 73,000 followers: ‘I’m a little shook this morning. ‘Did you know that up to 80 per cent of women who go through menopause will lose their labia minora. Lose it?’
Another US-based woman told her 73,000 followers the information had left her a ‘little shook’.
‘Did you know that up to 80 per cent of women who go through menopause will lose their labia minora. Lose it?,’ she asked.
‘Where do they go? Why did no one share this with me until now?’
In guidance for women undergoing the menopause, the NHS advises that a lack of oestrogen leads to thinning of the tissues around the ballder, urethra, vulva and vagina.
‘Patients may also lose some fat tissue from around the genital area and their labia (lips) and clitoris seem to get smaller,’ the health service says.
‘Their vagina also becomes slightly shorter, less elastic and drier.
‘These changes may make the genital area look slightly different to how it looked before the menopause.’
However, these changes often take months or years to develop after the menopause and vary in severity from patient to patient.
It is also believed that around half of menopausal women have some symptoms related to the lack of oestrogen in their vulva, vagina and bladder.
Patients are also more likely to experience symptoms as more years have passed since they entered the menopause.
Vaginal oestrogen therapy, a type of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be prescribed to help treat symptoms of GSM.
Non-hormonal therapies include personal lubricants, vaginal moisturisers are among other treatments often recommended by medics.
The menopause is when a woman’s periods stop. It usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
Researchers estimate there will be 1.2billion menopausal women worldwide by 2030, as life expectancy increases.
Eight in ten women will experience symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, low mood or anxiety and problems with memory.
Women are advised to see their GP if their symptoms are difficult to manage.
Official figures show HRT use has exploded in England in recent years.
The latest NHS data recorded 13million HRT prescriptions in 2023/24, a 47 per cent increase from the previous year. They were dished out among 2.3million patients, a 22 per cent rise compared to 2022/23.
Demand has been so great that the UK has been hit by a shortage of some HRT medications.
Experts estimate HRT gels, patches and pills are up to 90 per cent effective at reducing symptoms.
