I received a message from a woman who had gotten a VCH piercing done and she was concerned about the placement and jewelry fit.

First, thank you for your wonderful website. I did a lot of research and planning, and finally got my VCH done one week ago. I went to a studio on your referrals page, although I didn't use the piercer you recommended (whoops!).

I actually liked my piercer, and I'm not really sure if there is a problem or not. My hood seems swollen, which I assume is normal after only one week. The trouble is when I start comparing to other women's photos online, I'm not sure if my placement is right. It seems very long, although maybe my jewelry is just too short? The lower ball hides under my hood, but again, I'm still swollen.

I thought I knew my anatomy well, but judging by the sensation when I touch the area, it feels like the lower ball is actually underneath my clitoris rather than resting on top. I don't see the little mound under my ball when I lift it up. I hope you can see this in the photos. Sorry for sending so many, I just want to make sure you get the right angle.

Now, the piercing is definitely "working" in that it increases sensation in that area. And there is no pain other than the occasional twinge when I pinch it or something. Since it is still healing I assume that is normal as well.

I guess I just want to know...is the placement correct? Do I need a longer bar? Also, a side question: are lambskin condoms okay during healing? I know that they don't prevent STD's, so not sure if they are good enough to protect piercings? (I am married and monogamous).

Thank you SO much for your time!

My reply:

From what I could see in the photos, your piercing is properly placed, and the jewelry does touch your clitoris. It looks to me like the jewelry is on top of your clitoris where it should be (not under it).

Your bar is shorter than I usually put in, but for maximum stimulation with your build, I can understand why they sized it that way. If it is not causing discomfort and you don't feel there is any danger of the bottom ball embedding, then you can leave it as is.  Normally just a small amount of tissue is pierced   so there is plenty of post under the hood. At this stage you can't pull back your hood very far, but usually you can see some of the post under the hood. When it is not too tender and seems reasonable to try that, you may want to take a look.

Is that a straight bar? I usually use curved as they allow for a little extra room, but again, with your build, I see why the piercer used the jewelry you're waring as the bottom ball does directly rest on your clitoris.

Unfortunately, condoms that don't prevent the transmission of STDs may also fail to protect you from whatever flora and fauna your partner naturally has, that should be kept away from your open wound (piercing).

The healing is quick--just 4-6 weeks for many women. So if latex is a problem there are other options for non-latex condoms, Some piercees have liked Lifestyles Skyn, which is made of polyisoprene.

Let me know if you have other questions.

She wrote:

Thank you so much for your response! I feel 100% better and 150% extra silly for even thinking it was possible that my piercing was under my clitoris, hah. I am sure I am swollen and sensitive and so the whole area seems a bit different than usual to me. And yes, the bar is short and straight, but I am a very petite person all around, and like you said it probably was chosen based on my anatomy.

And finally, I replied:
Naturally, the area does not seem "itself" right now, which is perfectly normal. The hypersensitivity will diminish shortly  and I'm certain you'll be fine. Just keep an eye out to make sure you can always see the bottom ball when you're looking for it!

Your hood doesn't really have the "inverted-V" shape that I describe as being common to the area (see your photo to the left--with some lines drawn to show the more common hood shape). Your build looks comparatively level all the way across the edge of your hood, which means it is longer in the middle where a lot of women sort of have a notch that shows the the jewelry.

I think the fit should be fine, and as you mentioned, it is "working," which makes sense, beause I can see (especially in the photo above, left) that the bottom ball of the barbell is resting right against your clitoris.