Hi everyone, I'm absolutely and utterly freaked out right now. Sitting here shaking 😭
Ever since my traumatic vaginal birth in 2020, I have always felt something isn't quite right down there. Mentally I learned to cope after some therapy, but physically... Every smear and colposcopy I had I kept bringing this up, saying I could feel some lumpy, pearly tissue that I feel shouldn't be there. It was always brushed off and I was told everything was fine.
Come today... I was having a wash and my finger landed into something that felt very off. So I took a magnifying mirror down and tried to see and inspect what's going on the best I can. What I saw horrified me. There's a huge mass that I suspect is a polyp. However, it's not just a standard polyp... It's attached to two spots, forming what feels like a fleshy bridge! There's a virtual hole in there that I can put my finger through!!! I'm not quite sure where is it attached to as it's deep and hard to see and feel, but my best guess is that it goes from the cervix to the vaginal wall.
I've never even heard of anything like this. How and WHEN did this grow without me noticing? It's huge, probably an inch long, and finger-thick. I consider myself very in tune with my body, which makes this even more shocking. I'm beyond distraught, I don't even know how to call the GP and explain this. I'm in the North. The state of healthcare locally is atrocious and I'm already on the gynecology waiting list for about 2-3 years now (for irregular and long periods), but clearly this has to be an urgent referral?!
My mother had/has an extremely bad case of endometriosis, so naturally my mind jumps to that too. Can an endo growth be external and form such a lump?!
Please please can someone reassure me and tell me how to proceed 😭
First step is the GP
Thanks, they've checked me within a couple of hours today! Got another referral for gynecology on top of the one I got back in 2023, unfortunately there's no reassurance regarding waiting times 🫤
I have what's known as vaginal band adhesion.
OP, get yourself to your GP! Maybe an appointment with the nurse and see what they say?
Take it from there then
Good luck. Hopefully it's something that is resolved quickly and easily
Thank you, I managed to get seen right away. I figured it's an adhesion and not a polyp and the GP thinks the same... It's called vaginal band adhesion. I found a grand total of one example in medical journals 😭
It will have to be surgically removed. I have no idea how long will it take to see a gynecologist. This is not how I envisioned the start of 2026.
Delighted that you got to see a GP so quickly.
The rest of it though... I am sorry to hear it's not a quick fix.
Do you have any private health insurance? Or would you be able to afford to pay privately for a gynecologist appointment? To make this happen faster?
I wish I were able to provide some more help or guidance for you.
I don't have private insurance and to be very honest, our family finances are in a tough place. We'll have to gather money for private if I don't hear from gyne quickly, it's possible but it will be a struggle.
My health in general is very bad, I'm autistic with fibromyalgia and something autoimmune is suspected (currently being investigated), and it makes long term work impossible, so money is always an issue. Ugh.
I am really sorry to hear that OP. I wish I had something more concrete than the good wishes of a random internet stranger to offer you.
Look after yourself, fibromyalgia is no joke.
Thank you, honestly right now I'm just happy and grateful to hear a kind word ❤️
Please don't panic. I found out I'd a polyp and nearly lost it due to family history previously..several family members have had cancer. Had to take time off work and get checked. It was removed and all is fine since but it did affect for me for a small period of time.
Think positively. You'll be okay. Take it as a sign to live your life. I made changes to my life after it happened to me
Get referred to a specialist to get it checked and removed if they found any issues. GP won't do anything.
Thank you and I'm so sorry you went through that! I can totally understand what you mean about taking it as a sign... That's the effect my birth trauma had, it completely changed me as a person.
I managed to get seen today. While waiting for the appointment, I figured it was an adhesion, not a polyp, based on its appearance. The GP thinks it's an adhesion as well. The perplexing thing is it looks like it formed on the opposite side from where my episiotomy/tear scar is! So the GP visit left me none the wiser...
I feel like a freak of nature and I can't unsee/"unfeel" this, I'm just so freaked out. I found one single example of this sort of growth in a medical journal. It's called vaginal band adhesion. The closest thing in appearance is a fistula, only unlike a fistula, this doesn't connect the vagina to the bladder or rectum, it's all in the vagina.
I have no idea when will I see a gynecologist. The GP couldn't give me any estimate. Our healthcare is shambles, completely unfit for purpose.
I had mine in my nasal area..large ones/ones that grow quickly can turn cancerous if not removed quickly so I'd remove regardless of biopsy result, I'd some abnormal cells too so I lost it so had to be removed. Convinced that was it for me, barely wanted to do anything for weeks. All is fine now since removal, nothing else since. GP does not know, only the biopsy will tell you properly.
First and foremost, you are in tune with your body since you said you’d been feeling a bit off in that area for a while now. You are not a doctor or a specialist or an expert of any sort - so you communicated with those who are - you have definitely done right by yourself this whole time by advocating for yourself. Next, sometimes things get missed, or aren’t as apparent at the outset and perhaps it’s grown very quickly and wasn’t as evident before as it is now - it’s great you’ve found it, now you can go and point to it and demand a letter for A&E to be seen asap - not wait months for a consultation with a gynae. Mention you’d been feeling this for a while now and today have clear evidence that something feels very wrong. Be calm, be emphatic, be insistent.
Finally, don’t assume the worst OP, I know it’s panic in your mind right now, but it won’t help your body to stress and worry - until you have all the information, you need to be kind to your body and mind and soothe yourself and do something nice for yourself until you get to have your examination. Our body heals in its own way, and sometimes it’s too good at it! There is as much a chance that this is scar tissue or anything really after vaginal birth healing. You don’t know what it is, and fearing the worst is something you must distract yourself from for the sake of your own wellbeing ❣️
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you taking time to write this ❤️
The GP saw me within a couple of hours. Got another referral for the gynecologist. No idea about the waiting times sadly. I might have to consider going private, I'm completely broke though and it's going to be a big struggle.
I have what's known as vaginal band adhesion. It's not common and it will have to be removed surgically. Childbirth could have contributed to it forming, even though the interesting thing is that it's on the left, while all my scar tissue I've always felt in on the right.
It's hard not to have racing thoughts, to be honest. As an autistic woman I've always felt invisible and abused by the medical system, my entire life has been one big fight to stop doctors from downplaying me. Traumatic childbirth was just one small part of it. I'm so, so tired.
I managed to get seen today. What I have is a vaginal band adhesion and it will require surgical removal.
I honestly had no idea this even existed until today! The GP said she's never seen one in her career. I'm so freaked out. In a way I regret ever using that mirror, wish I could unsee this piece of tissue being where it shouldn't be.
Now to wait for the gynecology appointment. I really wish we had a functional, fit for purpose healthcare system in the North.
If anyone wants to take a peek what a band adhesion is, I found a pretty much identical one in a medical journal here.
Health-wise, 2025 was one of the most miserable years in my life and I've just lost any remaining hope that things will get better.