Why Is the Internet Suddenly Obsessed With the Labia Minora?
The labia minora are having a moment—and it’s about time. It started with an Instagram video by Dr. Rachel Rubin, a urologist and sexual medicine specialist, explaining that “your labia minora shrivel up and disappear in menopause.” This clip, as well as subsequent videos highlighting the findings of Rubin’s recent research on the labia minora, published in March 2025, have been making the rounds on TikTok and Instagram ever since.
Some reactions to the video have focused on our lack of sexual health education in the United States. And while that’s an entirely valid concern, this problem goes even deeper than that.
The labia minora, like other parts of female reproductive anatomy, have never been thoroughly researched. Similar to the clitoris, which wasn’t mapped until 2005, Rubin says that the labia have never been studied extensively, “and so it’s really important that we do this research and create this awareness.”
So what do we know about the labia minora? Rubin and two OB-GYNs break it down.
What Are the Labia Minora?
The labia minora are the two inner folds of skin that lie inside the labia majora and surround the openings of the vagina and urethra, says Dr. Kecia Gaither, who is double board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal fetal medicine, and the director of perinatal services/maternal fetal medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx.
“I like to call them the ‘inner wings’ of the vulva,” Rubin says.
The labia minora are typically smaller than the labia majora, and are directly connected to the vaginal opening, says Dr. Angela Wilson, an OB-GYN at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care. “For some, the labia minora may be tucked inside of the labia majora, where for others it may be longer and hang out externally,” she explains.
As it turns out, the penis and the vulva are actually very similar structures, Rubin explains. “There’s a line that goes down the very middle of the penis, all the way down to the scrotum,” she says. “It’s called the ‘median raphae’, and that’s the same thing as the labia minora—it’s just split open.” That tiny piece of tissue in a man is the same as the labia minora in a female body, she notes.
“As far as we know, [the labia minora are] just skin, but it seems to be skin that is quite hormonally sensitive, because they grow and shrink with [hormonal] changes,” Rubin explains. There is also some scientific evidence that labia minora respond to “inflammatory properties, autoimmune conditions and dermatological conditions,” she says, but we need far more research to fully understand these changes.
What Is the Function of the Labia Minora?
Technically, because the labia minora have never been thoroughly studied or characterized, their function is unknown.
Rubin says. “Physiologically, it would make sense that they’re there to protect the inner lining of the vulva and vagina, because as you go inside the labia minora, you get to the vulvar vestibule and then the vaginal tissue, which are very sensitive, delicate tissues compared to the skin on the outside,” she says. “Theoretically, it would make sense that they’re there to protect the outside from the inside. And if they are not there, you potentially could be prone to other infections, urinary tract, yeast infections [and] bacterial infections. They probably serve a pretty important purpose.”
According to Gaither, the labia minora helps guide urine during urination, protect the vaginal and urethral openings from infection, dryness and irritation, as well as contribute to sexual sensation and stimulation, as they can swell during arousal.
How Do the Labia Minora Change Over the Years?
The tissue of the female genitalia, including the labia minora, is very sensitive to the levels of estrogen in the body, Wilson explains. “Prior to puberty, the labia are small,” she says. “When estrogen levels rise after puberty, the labia may grow, and typically become fuller and plumper. With the decrease in estrogen after menopause, the tissue of the labia typically becomes thinner and may decrease in size.”
According to Rubin, the labia minora “straight shrivel up” and can disappear. “Now, that doesn’t mean everybody completely loses them entirely, but some people do,” she says. “And literally nobody is documenting, looking, monitoring or seeing the length and width of the labial tissue. It really is alarming.”
The changes can be very different in each woman and depend on the starting structure and size of the labia prior to menopause, Wilson says, adding that some may not notice a change at all.
If the Labia Minora Shrink or Disappear, Can You Get Them Back?
At this stage, Rubin says that we don’t fully understand the impact of hormonal changes on the labia minora. It’s unclear whether they can grow back or grow in size, or why hormonal fluctuations cause them to change in size.
“There are people who hypothesize that vaginal hormones could play a role to help prevent [shrinkage], but unclear if it helps to restore,” she says. “That’s why it’s so shocking—because it’s literally never been looked at.”
Gaither and Wilson are among those who hypothesize that topical topical or vaginal estrogen may be used to restore plumpness and health to the vulvar tissues. “Depending on the change that occurs and the size of your labia initially, some more subtle changes may improve with the use of supplemental estrogen,” Wilson says. “The labia’s appearance is different for each woman. It is difficult to compare shape and size.”
What Other Parts Don’t We Know About?
According to Rubin, the labia minora “hasn’t really been a high-priority place of research.” But it’s not the only spot that hasn’t been studied.
“Women still have a lot of body parts that haven’t been really well researched,” Rubin explains. In addition to both the labia minora and majora, she says that more studies are needed on the vulvar vestibule (which is inside the labia minora), and the entire area around the urethra. “All the neuroanatomy of the vulva hasn’t really been fully researched,” she says. “We’ve got endless parts to go.”
