I'm 13 and I began my period last April. When I was born, there was an extra piece of skin that had grown on the outside of my vaginal wall. The doctor said it should go away after the first couple months of my cycle and it hasn't. I still can't use tampons no matter how hard I try. Will I need to see a gynecologist to have this removed?

-- L.L.

By your description, what you have is an imperforate hymen. Most of the time, the hymen is relatively thin and a tampon can be passed through the central opening without too much difficulty. Occasionally, however, the hymenal tissue may be thicker or tougher and you may need to see a gynecologist to have the opening enlarged. This is sometimes done in an office setting and sometimes in an outpatient surgery setting, depending on how much needs to be done. Because you are having menstrual periods, your hymen is not completely closed and covering the vaginal opening; there must be some perforations, or openings, to allow menstrual blood to pass.

You have two options at this point. The first is to wait and see what happens with time, using pads and occasionally trying to use the smallest "teen" tampons. The other option is to see a gynecologist and discuss having your hymen opened a bit more so you can use tampons. With proper anesthesia, the procedure is fairly painless and easy.