My daughter has labial adhesion.

Guest blogger Harper: It is only after a lot of tears, several glasses of wine and calls to my pediatrician, mother, sisters and closest girlfriends that I am calm enough to write this post. Thankfully, what I discovered about my infant daughter isn't a big deal, but for ten loooong minutes, I sure thought it was. Had I known something like this existed, I could have been saved the torture of thinking something was seriously wrong with my child. According to her pediatrician, it's called "labial adhesion" -- yes, you read it correctly -- and it means that my child's vagina has sealed itself shut.

I discovered it yesterday, while changing an especially messy diaper. At first I thought I was imagining things, but upon closer inspection I saw a faint white seam where the opening of her vagina should be. My first thought was that it was a birth defect I had somehow overlooked, which of course was followed by more thoughts, all horrifying, about what this could mean for my child's reproductive future. I frantically called her pediatrician, and after a brief hold (which felt like an hour), he picked up and informed me that the condition isn't uncommon in female babies, and that unless she's having trouble urinating, not to worry about it. "The matter should resolve itself by the time she's 6 years old," he said. "Trust me, you can Google it." I breathed a huge sigh of relief, thanked him and hung up. And then I got to Googling.

While I did find a lot of information on labial adhesion, much of it was contradictory, so I asked an editor at momlogic to suggest an expert to address my concerns. Dr. Cara Natterson, pediatrician and author of "Your Newborn Head-to-Toe: Everything You Want to Know about Your Baby's Health Through the First Year" did just that. Not only did she assuage my fears, she gave me a thorough lesson on this bizarre (and surprisingly common) condition that has affected my 10-month-old daughter. Here is what I learned:

Labial adhesion happens most often in girls 3 months to 6 years of age (it can also be present at birth). The delicate inner lips of the vagina are sensitive to the hormone estrogen, which decreases in the child's system soon after birth. With the absence of this hormone, the labia become "sticky," and in 1/3 of female babies, can fuse (partially or totally) together. This is usually caused by irritation or inflammation of the labia -- bubble baths, perfumed soap, urine and feces are some of the possible culprits.

The condition isn't treated unless the flow of urine is blocked, which can cause discomfort or frequent urinary tract infections. I asked Dr. Natterson how one could tell if a child had a urinary infection (it's not like your baby can tell you), and she said that mothers would know the difference between a "screaming in pain" cry and an "I don't like my diaper changed" cry. Good point.

If treatment is necessary, an estrogen cream called Premarin may be prescribed, and when applied to the area, will cause the thin layer of fused cells to separate. This isn't a permanent solution, however, as re-fusing of the area can occur once treatment is stopped. Be aware that Premarin has been known to cause labial darkening, breast development and pubic hair in infants (??!!), but once the cream is no longer used, those things will eventually subside. (Note: In doing online research, I discovered that many parents had opted out of using the cream for these reasons, as well as a warning on its label indicating a cancer risk. The risk is small, but if it concerns you, ask your doctor for possible alternate treatments.)

Labial adhesion usually doesn't require medical attention. According to Dr. Natterson, most cases will resolve themselves at the onset of puberty. If the thought of your child having a vaginal adhesion for this long bothers you (as it did me), consider that the beginning stages of puberty have moved up, so the labia should begin to open by age 6. Physical activity by the child also contributes to earlier labial separation.

In my opinion, pediatricians should let parents know about labial adhesion during their daughters' first checkup. Even though Dr. Natterson feels it's not a preventable condition, had I known about its possibility, I wouldn't have bathed my daughter with scented baby wash, and I would have looked more closely during diaper changes. At the very least, I could have been spared ten agonizing minutes of wondering what the heck was going on with my baby's vagina. All is well now, though, and I've decided that if a fused labia doesn't bother my daughter, it's not going to bother me.