Yes, you can get it “down there,” and women are three times as likely as men to die of it.  Melanoma doesn’t require sun exposure to grow; it can grow anywhere the skin has pigment, including where the sun don’t shine.  Have any bumps, pigmented lesions, itching, or sores that don’t heal checked out.   Get tested for HPV along with your Pap smear, since that common virus makes you more vulnerable, as does a previous melanoma anywhere or atypical moles.  Your doc is supposed to check while you’re in the stirrups at your annual, but it couldn’t hurt to ask “You check for vulvar cancer, right?”