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Mayo Clinic specialists are experienced in treating vaginal agenesis, a relatively rare congenital disorder of the female reproductive system. Pediatricians, gynecologists, urogynecologists and colorectal surgeons work together to find the best solutions for patients. Counselors are available to help patients cope with the emotional effects of this disorder. Mayo Clinic is also experienced in caring for other congenital abnormalities associated with vaginal agenesis.
Often, a diagnosis of vaginal agenesis isn't made until a girl enters puberty and fails to start her menstrual cycle. However, it can be diagnosed in infancy or early childhood when doctors test for other abnormalities sometimes associated with this condition. Read more about vaginal agenesis diagnosis.
Treatment for vaginal agenesis typically occurs in adolescence. Doctors first recommend dilation, where a vaginal canal is created by applying pressure with a small tube over a period of months. If this proves ineffective, a patient may undergo surgery to construct a vagina. The most common surgery uses a skin graft from the buttocks. Another option creates a vagina from part of the colon. The Vecchietti procedure, offered at Mayo's Arizona location, is a minimally invasive method of creating a vaginal opening. Vaginal agenesis patients may benefit from counseling to help them cope with this condition. Read more about vaginal agenesis treatment options.
Vaginal agenesis (agenesis means failure to develop or grow) is a congenital disorder of the reproductive system affecting approximately 1 in 5,000 females. It occurs when the vagina, the muscular canal connecting the cervix of the uterus to the vulva, stops developing during pregnancy. The condition encompasses females with a shorter than normal vagina as well as those with no vagina.
Many patients with vaginal agenesis have other abnormalities in the reproductive tract, such as a small or absent uterus. Thirty percent of patients with vaginal agenesis have kidney abnormalities. Approximately 12 percent of patients with vaginal agenesis have skeletal abnormalities that affect the spine, ribs or limbs.
After treatment, patients with vaginal agenesis can have a normal sex life. Although it's not common, some patients with vaginal agenesis have a normal uterus and can bear children. Typically, vaginal agenesis patients have an undersized uterus and can't become pregnant. However, if their ovaries are healthy, which is often the case, affected women can have children by in vitro fertilization of their own eggs with the pregnancy carried by a surrogate mother.
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