The Prevalence of labial adhesion in girls aged 6–72 months: A Cross-sectional study from a community Pediatric Clinic
Objective: To determine the prevalence of labial adhesion in girls aged 6–72 months who attended routine pediatric follow-up visits and to describe associated clinical features.
Methods: This is a retrospective study which included 500 girls aged 6–72 months who were followed at a private pediatric clinic in Güzelbahçe, İzmir, between 2021 and 2024. Retrospective review was done for age, presence and type of labial adhesion, atopic skin disease, diaper dermatitis, urinary tract infection (UTI) history, toilet training status, family history, place of residence, and maternal education. Variables were accounted by adjusting the mean by adding or subtracting the standard deviation. Group comparisons were performed using Welch’s t test, Pearson’s chi-square test, or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables..
Results: Labial adhesion was identified in 22 of 500 girls, giving a prevalence of 4.4%. Nineteen cases (3.8%) were partial adhesions and three (0.6%) were complete adhesions. The mean age was 36.7 ± 15.2 months in the adhesion group and 38.7 ± 16.5 months in the non-adhesion group (p = 0.554). Histories of atopic skin disease, diaper dermatitis, UTI, and toilet training status did not differ significantly between groups (all p > 0.05). Among girls with labial adhesion, 54.5% were still using diapers, 81.8% lived in urban areas, and 63.7% had mothers with high school educational levels.
Conclusion: Labial adhesion was detected in 4.4% of girls attending routine pediatric visits in this cohort. Most cases were partial and were recognized during routine examination rather than because of symptoms. These findings support careful genital examination during well-child visits and suggest that larger multicenter studies are needed to clarify which clinical factors are independently associated with labial adhesion.
Keywords: labial adhesion, labial synechiae, prepubertal girls, prevalence, genital examination, well-child visit
References
- Bacon JL, Romano ME. & Quint EH. Clinical recommendation: Labial adhesions. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2015;28:405–9 .
- Rubinstein A, Rahman G, Risso P. & Ocampo D. Labial adhesions: Experience in a children’s hospital. Arch Argent Pediatr 2018:116: 65–8 .
- Gonzalez D, Anan S. & Mendez MD. Labial Adhesions. in NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, StatPearls. 2023:1–4.
- Vilano SE. & Robbins CL. Common prepubertal vulvar conditions. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 2026:28:359–65 .
- Kazmi Z. & Zaidi SZ. Labial synechiae: a diagnostic conundrum. J Pak Med Assoc 2023;73:638–40.
- Kim SW, Han JY, Han SJ, Kim H. & Ku SY. Effect of topical estrogen cream compared with observation in prepubertal girls with labial adhesions. J Pediatr Urol 2023;19(4):403.e1-403.e6.
- Melek E, Kiliçbay F, Sarikaş NG. & Bayazit AK. Labial adhesion and urinary tract problems: The importance of genital examination. J Pediatr Urol 2016;12:111.e1-111.e5 .
- Murina F, Fochesato C. & Savasi VM. Treatment of prepubertal labial adhesions with topical Estriol + Testosterone: A case report. Pediatr Rep 2024; 16,:558–65.
- Amm M. et al. Awareness about labia minora fusion among Lebanese pediatricians. J Pediatr Neonatal Individ Med 2019; 8:1–7 .
- Uysal M. Our approach to labial fusion during childhood: Eight years of experience in a single center. Pediatr Pract Res 2022;10:118–22.
- Davis VJ. What the paediatrician should know about paediatric and adolescent gynecology: The perspective of a gynecologist. Paediatr Child Health (Oxford) 2003; 8:491–5.
- Kerkeni Y, Thamri F. & Jouini R. Management of labial adhesion in a low-income country. Turkish Arch Pediatr 2023;58:339–40.
- O’Keefe RJ, Compton SD, Dendrinos ML. & Rosen MW. Management variation in pediatric labial adhesions: A retrospective cohort study. J Pediatr 2025;281:114529.
- Özkul SA. et al. İstanbul’da Aile Sağlığı Merkezlerinde koruyucu adolesan sağlığı yaklaşımında kaçırılmış fırsatlar. Turk Fam Phy. 2015;6:18–29.
- Seniwati T, Rustina Y, Nurhaeni N. & Wanda D. Patient and family-centered care for children: A concept analysis. Belitung Nurs J 2023;9:17–24.


