I received this email from a woman in the UK who had questions about her VCH piercing and jewelry:

Hi Elayne
 
I have emailed you at this address rather than sending it from your webpage as I wasnt sure how to upload pictures.  If for any reason you want to put this, including the pictures on your website I have no objections.  I also understand if you are not able to or do not have time to answer the millions of questions I have just sent you.
 
I can't phone my piercer as he is out of the country for a couple of weeks, but I will be making the 300 mile drive to see him after that to change the bits I want him to.  I also thought he may not remember what my lady bits looked like if I emailed him, so wouldn't be able to answer my questions without seeing me, and I would be reluctant to email photos to him (it seems different sending them to you).
 

I was hoping to ask you a couple of questions about my VCH.  I have just bought your book and wish I had heard about it before, rather than after I had my piercing.  My piercer seemed to do everything properly, he took measurements, used his torch to check for veins etc and asked me what kind of jewellery I wanted and other than a quick pinch it was painless and I have not had any problems with it.   He also pierced my nipple and that too was pretty painless, with only 90 mins of a dull throb after, no swelling or weeping at all (other than a few very small crusties).  So, in that way I was very happy with him.
 
There was no conversation regarding the kind of stimulation I wanted from my VCH, (I'm sure I have read somewhere that in the UK they are not able to discuss stimulation) and to be truthful, my main reason for getting it was that I think they look pretty, I didnt know much about one and so hadn't thought about the stimulation.  If I had read your book first I would have gone in armed with questions for him.
 
I was pierced 11 days ago and it was uneventtul until  7 days after a dog caught it when it jumped up.  It did not hurt but the next day it had swollen (only for 24hrs).  Having not really looked at it properly before, just bathing it with my shot glass of saline (I was trying to keep any potential germs away).  I realised that with the swelling the bar was full.  Now, a couple of days later it seems like there is only maybe 2-3 of mm spare bar (i'm not very good with measurements so I couldnt say for definate).  I was wondering whether this was enough to allow for engorgement during arousal and thought I would ask your opinion.
 
I would also like to be able to see both balls, but I have read in various forums that some people talk about chafing if too much in front of their clitoris, which doesn't sound pleasant, so I was wondering if this may have been the reason for his choice of bar length.  The bar often rides up and this means that the bottom ball disappears under my hood, but when I push the top of the bar down I can just see the bottom of the bottom ball which seems to be resting on the top of my clitoris when I am standing up.
 
I don't generally have a problem reaching an orgasm during sex and on occasion can suffer from what I would class as the female equivalent of premature ejaculation (not that its really suffering), but I am not going to turn my nose up at trying a possibly pleasurable new experience so would like to have optimum placement.  So I was wondering where the ball should sit when standing up, or do I check when lying down? 
 
I am aware that I have an ample hood and inner labia at the top so I also wanted to ask you if you could forsee any problem with me having a 6 or 8 mm ball on the top as I like the look of big balls and a larger ball may fight through all the flesh there, or do you think that it will again cause the bar to ride up? (I have a titanium bar).  Do you think a bigger ball on the bottom of the bar would help hold the bar down, if so could you suggest a size?  I don't necessarily want tons of stimulation and I like rough, vigarous sex sometimes so it would need to be a size compatible to that too.  Also are you able to tell from the pictures whether you think my anatomy is more suited to a straight or curved barbell or a ring.  I hadnt considered a ring as I thought it would just get caught?
 
I have one last question sorry.  2 months after my piercing has been done I am going away for a long weekend which is probably going to be 4 days of sex.  Is there anything that I have to be careful of with a 2 month old piercing e.g. do I have to make sure sex isnt too rough or too vigorous or that I don't have too much of it?  I know the other stuff about safe sex until it has healed etc.
 
I also want to thank you for your suggestion in your book about Emu oil, I have added that to my cleaning routine, along with the saline soak and have put my lavender and chamomile essential oils in it.  Thank you also for writing the book as I feel that when I have my next piercings I can now go in and ask all the questions that might be pertinent to me - you really are an angel :).
 
I have enclosed a zip file of a few photos (badly taken I am afraid as it isn't the easiest area to photograph yourself) to see if you are able to see my anatomy from it.   I am sorry to email you a biography but having read so much about people who were happy with their piercing and then found it wasn't right so I just wanted to check mine and have  few questions answered.
 
Again, many thanks for your help.
 
Regards,
F.

My reply:

Hi F.,
Your bar definitely appears too short. I think you'd find it most comfortable to wear a curved bar that fits the way shown in my book illustration (pg. 187) and on my site: http://piercingbible.com/female-genital-piercings#VCH with both balls showing. That is the proper fit for healing.

The size you've got now is much more likely to cause irritation than one that fits properly and the curve will prevent the ball from resting too heavily on your clitoris. It really doesn't leave a lot of room for growth. When the jewelry fits properly, the bottom ball is visible at the "inverted 'V' of your hood" whether you are standing, sitting, or reclining.

As far as how big the balls can be after healing, that's an individual matter. You'll simply have to try them out. Some gals find there is unwanted stretching of the hole with 6 mm balls, and others find they can happily wear 8mm or even 10! I'd wait until 6-weeks post-piercing to try them out though. And some women do enjoy a ring--preferences are individual and the only way to be sure is to wear it yourself and see how you like it--again, post-healing, of course.

To answer your other question I refer you to a passage on pg. 183:
After the channel forms and seals, you are still in the third stage, as the scar matures over a long period of time. A piercing that has only recently healed is more delicate than a seasoned one. The skin can be broken, turning your piercing into an open wound again. Just because a piercing has made it through initial healing doesn’t mean that it can’t regress if it is mistreated.

By then it should be well healed, but basically, a healed piercing can become an open wound if there's rough enough treatment of it, so that' something to be considered. Generally, though, because the tissue in that area is so pliable, it shouldn't be terribly delicate, but you do need to listen to your body. If your piercing becomes sore, it would be safest to treat it as a fresh piercing.

Now that my piercing studio is closed (after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans) I make my living sharing my expertise on piercing, so a donation in any amount to my PayPal account would be much appreciated. My account is: [email protected]. If not, that's okay--I'll always do my best to help regardless of remuneration.

Oh, and I appreciate your willingness to allow me to post your letter and photos! Thank you.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Sincerely,