title: Female attitudes regarding labia minora appearance and reduction with consideration of media influence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Labia minora (LM) appearance and reduction have gained increasing media attention in The Netherlands.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevailing female view about LM appearance and reduction and the role of the media in shaping that view.
  
  
  METHODS
  From October 2007 to January 2008, questionnaires designed to elicit prevailing female opinion were distributed to and completed by several groups of females. Survey participants included female medical students at the University of Groningen (n = 394; average age, 22 +/- 3 yrs); patients visiting the outpatient Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Medical Centre Leeuwarden (n = 51; average age, 40 +/- 13 yrs); and female patients visiting Heerenveen, a private clinic (n = 37; average age, 41 +/- 10 yrs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most participants (95%) frequently examined their own LM. Almost half of the participants (43%) found the appearance of their LM important and 71% thought that their appearance was normal. Almost all participants (95%) have known about the possibility of LM reduction for the past 2.2 years. Most participants (78%) heard about LM reduction through a media source. Fourteen percent of the total sample found the appearance of their LM to be abnormal, 7% had considered LM reduction, and 0.42% had undergone such a procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our survey demonstrates that the appearance of LM is important to women and that almost all women surveyed have heard about LM reduction during the past 2.2 years. Our findings probably reflect the influence of increased media attention on this issue in The Netherlands.
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Merel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.forename: Ingeborg A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Zeijlmans
authors.forename: Theo K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Bouman
authors.forename: Berend
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van der Lei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009426:Netherlands; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014844:Vulva / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult