Tear Near the Vagina: How to Care for Your Daughter

You can take steps to make your daughter more comfortable while the tear near her vagina heals.

Injuries to the area around the vagina sometimes result in small cuts or bruises. Most tears in the vaginal area are accidental and can happen during sports, active play, or motor vehicle accidents. Another common cause is straddle injury, which happens when a girl falls with her legs around an object such as a bicycle or monkey bars.

Young girls are more likely than adult women to tear the skin around the vagina. This is because their skin in this area is thinner and does not have the protective cushion of tissue and fat that women develop as they get older.

Small tears often get better without treatment in a few days. Rarely, a health care provider may need to stitch the edges of a tear together to help it heal.

• For the next 24 hours:

  • Your daughter should rest to help healing.

  • Place a cold pack on the injured area for 15 minutes every 2–3 hours when your child is awake. Keep a towel between the ice and skin.

• Your daughter may be more comfortable sleeping on her side or back while the area heals.

• For sitting, an air-filled rubber or foam "donut" pillow may help.

• If your daughter is uncomfortable, a medication may help:

  • For girls under 6 months, you may give acetaminophen.

  • For girls over 6 months, you may give acetaminophen OR ibuprofen, if recommended by your health care provider.

• Beginning 24 hours after the injury, sitting in a tub of warm water (no soap or bubble bath) 3 or 4 times a day can help keep the injury clean.

Your daughter:

• Continues to have bleeding from the injury.

• Is having trouble peeing.

• Has any signs of a wound infection, including fever, worsening pain, or redness at the injury site.

Your daughter:

• Cannot pee.

• Has bleeding again after it had stopped.