Vulvar fluorescence

Abstract

Examination of the human vulva by means of a lamp emitting near ultraviolet light reveals: 1.1. No fluorescence in childhood.2.2. A greenish background fluorescence, appearing about the time of puberty and continuing into old age.3.3. Purple fluorescence replacing the green to varying extent and intensity during the menstrual years of life.4.4. A much darker, but also variable, purple fluorescence during pregnancy, which fades rapidly at the termination of pregnancy.5.5. Red fluorescence, usually but not always associated with vaginal bleeding and sometimes with impending abortion. There is both a brick-red tissue fluorescence, and a salmon-red fluorescence; the latter is emitted by secretion from glands in the region of the clitoris and is due to porphyrins.Purple fluorescence seems to be closely associated with estrogen and/or progesterone activity. It can be produced artificially in the castrate or in elderly women by oral or parenteral estrogens. The nature of the phenomcnon is not yet clear nor has the exact location of the fluorescent material been discovered. Preliminary experiments appear to demonstrate that purple vulvar fluorescence is not due to vascular congestion of the vulva per se.