Question: I'm a teenage girl and lately I have been thinking that my labia are not of the average size. I have read bits of your article on the anatomy of the clitoris and labia, unfortunately the answer I am looking for is not there or I cannot find it. From my readings I gather that it is my outer labia; in other words the two outer flaps. I feel as thought they are larger than normal. However, they not very large, like in some of the pictures you have (not to offend anybody if your similar to the images - if it is normal my apologies). Basically, I would like to know of measurements that matches normality to larger and how I would know if my labia are bigger than average.
Answer: If you are indeed referring to the average size of the outer labia, I believe the average measurements are about one inch (2.5 cm) in width, at their widest point in front of the vaginal opening, and about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length, front to back. Measuring the outer labia can be difficult, as they may merge without demarcation with the surrounding vulvar structures. In addition, for many women their outer labia are shaped more like elongated mounds than lips. The introitus, the area directly around the vaginal opening can be deeper in some women than others, ranging from 5/8 to 1 3/4 inches (1.6 to 4.4 cm), causing some outer labia to appear to be larger than they are.
The size of the outer
labia is determined by heredity and your percentage of body fat. Some adult
women have vulvas that look much like a preadolescent girl's, others have very
pronounced and full ones. Some are flat and smooth and others fluffy and
rounded. With some women you see almost nothing of their genital cleft when they
stand naked in front of you while with others there appears to be around two
inches of their genital cleft visible. With increasing age the outer labia may
become less rounded and more wrinkled in appearance as the amount of fat in them
decreases.
I am sure you are normal, and I doubt a partner would know one way or the
others, as they likely would have seen very few to compare them to.