An Overview of Vaginal Cuts (2025)

Vaginal tears are cuts that occur in vaginal tissues, both inside the body and externally. Symptoms include pain, bleeding, swelling, bruising, and problems sitting or walking. Tears range in severity from minor to deep and tearing may extend into the rectum.

Smaller vaginal tears are common and typically heal naturally within a week or so. More severe tears may need stitches or surgical repair.

What Are the Signs of a Vaginal Tear?

Tears, cuts, or splits in external tissues (the vulva) are sometimes easy to see. But smaller injuries, especially those to the internal vaginal tissue, may not be obvious. Symptoms of vaginal cuts may include:

• Itching or burning
• Bleeding or spotting
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Pain during intercourse, tampon use, urination, and bowel movements
  
• Pain when sitting or walking

How Are Vaginal Tears Treated?

Smaller vaginal cuts caused by sexual intercourse, shaving, or another minor injury usually heal up quickly with slight bleeding and no scarring.

If the cut on your vagina is related to a chronic skin condition, the condition will need to be managed to reduce the risk of more vaginal cuts in the future.

More severe genital injuries, such as a perineal tear, will likely require medical treatment in addition to self-care.

Regardless of the cause, you will need to take extra steps to prevent infection while avoiding any products that irritate the affected genital area, such as scented feminine hygiene products and soaps.

Self-Treatment

Most minor vaginal tears are treatable at home. Self-care for simple cuts focuses on keeping the injury clean and dry, eliminating products that could cause irritation, and avoiding activities that could make your injury worse:

• Keep the area clean and dry; bathe daily.
• Avoid touching the affected area.
• Avoid sex or foreplay until the injury heals.
• Wear loose cotton underwear (or no underwear, if possible).
  
• Do not use tampons.
• Check frequently for worsening symptoms or signs of infection (see above).
• Avoid any type of fragrant soap, spermicide, or lubricant that may be irritating.
• Use gentle cleansers without harsh chemicals, such as Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash.
• To reduce stinging when you pee, pour warm water over the vaginal opening while urinating and increase the amount of water you drink to make your urine less acidic.

With adequate hygiene and care, many vaginal tears will heal without the need for further treatment.

Medical Treatment

Medical treatment is necessary if a vaginal tear is not healing well, becomes infected, or is caused by an underlying condition.

In some cases, your provider may recommend treatments such as:

• Antibiotic creams or gels to treatinfection
• Anti-fungal cream if a yeast infection is present
• Antiviral medications for those with a herpes outbreak
• Vaginal estrogen cream for atrophic vaginitis
• Steroid cream for dermatitis, psoriasis, or other conditions that cause local inflammation (psoriasis soap may also be recommended)
• Pain medication for severe pain

If a vaginal cut results in a severe infection, it could lead to an abscess that might need to be drained.

Large or severe cuts may need stitches. Deep tears and cuts that reoccur or leave scars may need to be repaired surgically.

Perineal Tears

Perineal tears are rips in the skin and muscles of the perineum. These tears occur during vaginal childbirth. If the perineum can't stretch far enough, skin and sometimes muscle tissue will naturally tear.

First- and second-degree tears can typically be sutured (stitched) in the delivery room using local anesthesia, whereas more severe tears may need to be repaired in an operating room under general anesthesia.

Post-perineal repair, avoiding constipation is important, and you may be advised to eat plenty of high-fiber foods and drinking lots of water.

Pelvic floor exercises may also be advised to assist with healing by improving blood flow to the perineum.

What Are the Causes of Vaginal Cuts?

Most vaginal cuts happen as a result of everyday activities, like having sexual intercourse, shaving, or waxing. There are other ways you can develop a cut on the vagina or vulva, too, such as having a chronic skin condition or giving birth.

Sexual Activity

The most common cause of vaginal cuts is having sex. You can get a cut on your vagina by having sexual intercourse without proper lubrication. A cut on your vagina or vulva can also occur during sexual activity that is particularly rough or that involves sex toys.

Shaving and Waxing Pubic Hair

Shaving and waxing pubic hair are other common causes of vaginal cuts. In fact, a 2017 study found that 25.6% of all people who groomed their pubic hair reported injuries. The most common injury was vaginal cuts in women. A small percentage of people in the study needed antibiotics or surgery to treat them.

Childbirth

About 80% of women develop a perineal tear during childbirth. A perineal tear is a tear in the muscles or skin of the perineum, which is the area between the vagina and anus. A perineal tear may also affect the vagina or anal sphincter—the ring of muscle that forms the opening of the anus.

Perineal tears range in severity from first- to fourth-degree tears:

• First-degree tears affect only the perineal skin.
• Second-degree tears are most common and affect the perineal skin as well as the vagina and/or the perineal muscle.
• Third-degree tears extend into the anal sphincter, tearing it partially.
• Fourth-degree tears involve a tear in the anal sphincter and potentially the bowel lining.

Skin Conditions

If you have any of the following skin conditions, you may be more likely to experience vaginal cuts:

• Eczema, a skin condition involving red patches that become inflamed, crack, and itch. Depending on what part of the genitals it affects, symptoms can also include leaking fluid, crust formation, and a burning sensation.
• Lichen planus, an inflammatory disorder that can cause soreness, burning, or rawness (when it affects vulva skin), as well as sticky yellow discharge and tissue erosions (when it affects the vagina)
• Psoriasis, a skin condition involving itchy, scaly, dry patches. On the vulva, where the skin is too moist to be dry and scaly, psoriasis usually appears as pink patches with defined edges.
• Lichen sclerosus, a chronic (long-term) inflammatory skin condition that commonly affects the external genital skin and the skin around the anus. The inflamed skin is more vulnerable to tears or fissures (breaks in the skin).
• Vulvovaginal atrophy (atrophic vaginitis), a condition that causes the vaginal tissue to become drier, thinner, and less elastic. This makes it more prone to vaginal tears.
• Vaginal scarring or tissue damage may occur from surgery or radiation therapy in the pelvic area.
• Vulvovaginitis, an infection resulting from Candida albicans, commonly referred to as thrush
• Genital herpes (herpes simplex infection), which can cause clusters of blisters that may leak fluid, then tear open. Herpes can appear as a small straight cut in the vaginal area.
  

Other Causes

Some other causes of vaginal tears include:

• Putting a foreign object into the vagina
• Improper insertion and removal of tampons
• Vaginal dryness
• Thinning of the vaginal tissue due to aging
• Taking steroids

How Are Vaginal Cuts Diagnosed?

To diagnose a vaginal cut, your healthcare provider will need to perform a physical examination and take your medical history. This helps them understand your symptoms, as well as any other medical conditions or other factors that could be the reason for the injury. The healthcare provider will also ask if the symptoms are new or recurring to find out if you have a history of vaginal cuts.

Diagnostic Tests

Usually, tests aren't needed to diagnose and treat vaginal cuts when the cause is known and the cuts appear minor and infection-free.

Sometimes, tests are helpful to check for any conditions that may contribute to vaginal injury. These tests could include:

• Culture: Vaginal discharge is sampled by swab and lab tested to identify vaginal infections (e.g., bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections) and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Biopsy: A sample of tissue is taken and analyzed to diagnose underlying causes of recurring vaginal tears.

Preventing Vaginal Cuts

Prevention measures for recurrence of vaginal cuts depend on several factors:

• The cause: Prevention involves avoiding the underlying cause (e.g., shaving pubic hair) or using caution when continuing the action that caused the vaginal cuts (e.g., sexual activity, tampon use).
• Condition severity: Mild tears may be avoided with simple measures, like taking care when grooming and using lubricant during sex. More severe tears may require ongoing medical treatment (e.g., estrogen therapy) or care modifications (e.g., C-section after a vaginal birth) to prevent re-injury.
• Underlying conditions: It's important to diagnose and treat any underlying conditions that are contributing to vaginal cuts.

Sexual Activity

To prevent vaginal tears caused by sexual activity:

• Use plenty of lubrication during sexual activity. Choose water-based lubricants, as those that are oil-based can damage condoms, resulting in ineffective birth control and protection from sexually transmitted diseases. Oil-based lubricants are also more likely to be irritating to the skin.
• Use sex toys gently.
• Try different sexual positions, such as the person with a vagina on top.
• Take time to allow for lubrication from sexual arousal before intercourse.
• Take a bath before sexual intercourse to allow for the vaginal muscles to relax.

Shaving

If you decide to shave or wax, here are some tips to avoid vaginal cuts:

• Avoid using dull or dirty razors.
• Wet the skin and use shaving gel or cream before shaving.
• When shaving, rinse the razor after each stroke.
• Take special caution, and shave very gently when shaving around any bumps, such as acne.
• Shave the hair in the direction of hair growth, downward
• Avoid shaving while lying down—a standing position is best for shaving or trimming.
• Don't allow others to do the shaving—cuts are more likely when another person does the shaving.
• Avoid waxing or shaving when your skin is irritated or injured.
• Make sure the skin is clean and dry before waxing.
• Apply the wax in the same direction that the hair grows and remove it in the opposite direction that the hair grows.
• Hold the skin tight when applying and removing wax.

The best way to prevent vaginal cuts from shaving or waxing is to avoid grooming pubic this area.

Tampons

Be gentle when pulling out a tampon and make sure it has been left in long enough to absorb moisture (usually a couple of hours) and is not dry when removing.Remove a tampon slowly.

A common cause of damage to the vaginal tissue is removing a tampon that has not been adequately moistened, then immediately putting another one in. If you remove a dry tampon, consider switching to a pad or period underwear instead.

Vaginal Delivery

With your healthcare provider's approval, it is recommended to exercise regularly throughout your pregnancy. Not only does exercise prevent constipation, but it also strengthens your abdominal muscles to aid with pushing during delivery.

Perineal massage has also been shown to reduce the risk of perineal tears by increasing perineal muscle tone and tissue elasticity. Perineal massage should be performed throughout pregnancy and during labor.

Some research also shows that people who deliver their baby while positioned laterally (on their side) are less likely to have a perineal tear.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Most vaginal cuts should heal on their own in a few days. However, some may need medical care.

For example, a tear in the V-shaped fold of skin at the bottom of the entrance to the vagina can develop into a deeper tear. It requires prompt medical attention.

If you have a vaginal injury, consult your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Symptoms that get worse
• Symptoms that do not improve after a few days
• Any discolored drainage or foul-smelling discharge
• Excessive bleeding that does not stop
• Recurring vaginal cuts
• Numbness or tingling
• Fever or chills
• Dizziness, weakness, or fainting
• Any symptoms that worry you

Seek medical care right away if you have large, deep, or numerous vaginal cuts, or if you think you have an infection. Signs of an infection may include foul-smelling discharge, fever, and pain that doesn't improve with medication.

Summary

Genital tears occur both inside the body and externally. Symptoms include pain, bleeding, swelling, bruising, and problems sitting or walking. Tears range in severity from minor to deep and tearing may extend into the rectum.

In some cases, underlying medical conditions may make vaginal tissues more fragile and likely to tear. If you have a tear in or around the vagina, determining what caused it is important to prevent recurrence.