The reality Laura is that sadly, it may be that there ARE no happy endings.....A lot of us women have had to endure cutting and stitching in child birth....three times for me and each one taking it's toll.  Does it help your sex life??????  That's about the nearest anyone surgeon would get to my clitoris as far as I am concerned.  I,ve had other surgeries (caesaren) that are performed at far greater rate and did anyone tell me that I'd be numb exactly two inches either side of the scar.  Did they hell!!!!!  How can you be so naive that it won't affect the nerves in that area?????  If we're talking about just an enlarged clitoris......isn't it better to have some sensation and a happy sex life than a great deal of sensation loss and feeling angry and depressed at that????  Some surgeries ARE necessary, but al ot are probably being performed unnecessarily.  Also, we all know about how levels in these children affect their growth.  After having surgery to bring a clitoris back to a more acceptable size, how do we avoid the further toxic affects on the clitoris thereafter during growth.  What happens then???  Do we tell them to do MORE surgery???  Let's face it, levels will fluctuate and have these affects whether we like it or not because as I have said before and will say again compared to diabetes, this condtions and it's monitoring  is archaic!!!!  Three months standard intervals..... alot can happen in three months and if your doctors are like my son's they have to see consistent high levels before thye will do a thing about it.  So tell me what are we gaining by doing anything other than the vital corrective surgery required for severely affected girls???? Just exposing them to more risk of not just a loss of sensation and all that follows but also risking their lives with repeated surgeries.  Who cares what the genitals look like as long as the girl can sit on the loo like all other lttle girls and pee???? In aimee's case I can FULLY understand her parents doing what they did.  In her case, it simply couldn't wait.  But we have to draw the line somewhere and LEARN from the grown women that are taking the time to come to this message board and voice their opinions.  Also Laura, I think that what is happening on this message board is not WRONG.  Healthy debate is essential and needs to be current on here for parents who come to it WITHOUT a damn clue. They need to see all the damn angles.  They may be SO upset, they need to see all the different opinions.  One of you women said that you felt awkward during puberty and when you menstruated.  I can't remember feeling that way at all.  I was quite chuffed to be grown up and different.  We all see that as a different.  It depends on HOW our parents bring us up and how comfortable we are with our selves DUE to what is instilled in us by our parents.  It is possible to TALK to these girls BEFORE they reach those times and explain what is going to happen.  Also what may have been microsurgery as a little girl, may become less of a delicate task when they are nearer to finishing their growth.  Look how much surgery has improved in the last few years.  What you feel is best for your daughter may not be her perception of what is best for her. I am always disagreeing with my Mother.  I feel I possibly am little bit of a perfectionist.  She will try to get a job done on the cheap by a cowboy.  I always go and get someone who can do the job properly the first time.  I always put a little make up on before I leave the house.  She doesn't even apply moisturiser or sunscreen in the mid day sun.  Your daughters may decide when they are older that they would like to choose WHO does their surgery and HOW MUCH they do a spend however much THEY feel it is worth.  If they have some sensation during early years, they will also have a knowledge of WHAT IS MISSING shouold they have surgery and have sensatory loss.  THEN GET THIS.... we may ALL actually learn something with those generation of girls as opposed to the ones that had sugery not of their choice and as some people put it DON"T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE MISSING!!!  Your daughters may want recommndations.  It is easier to get recommendations from someone who can FEEL that they have had a good job done as opposed to from some one whi is merely telling us that they LOOK like they have done a good job. ( i.e one parent to another parent as is what is occuring on this board).  The very fact that no two of us on this message board can even AGREE on this topic should be ringing bells at the moment with ALL of you.  What makes you think that your daughters will feel any different???????  Laura, it is good that there is controversy....because that gives every parent the control over what happens to their child.  Not that they have to be guided by the medical establishment as some of us may have been OR have been.  There is a medium ground here........no surgery and lot's of counselling for ALL but the ones that really need the corrective surgery IF their parents wish to PURSUE it. 

 

 

Val