The vagina, the vulva, its look, and its smell can be a lot, making people ask so many questions in the quest to understand it. When people talk about the penis, it is usually taken lightly. Still, when the vagina is mentioned, there is the silence and look that comes with it making it look like a forbidden topic. Maybe this is because it is usually associated with shame and to strengthen this, words like Pudendum which is a Latin word for the vulva and its other surroundings mean “to be ashamed”.
Do you know studies have shown that people who do not like how their vagina and vulva look are less likely to enjoy sex and they do not see medical care associated with it when they need it. The way we look at the vagina could be associated with the fact that the majority of our knowledge about anatomy was shaped by men as a lot of the studies at the time were done without the input of women, which is while we have a whole lot of female organs named after men like the fallopian tube names after Gabriele Falloppio who discovered it.
Simple, everything part of your genitals that you can see as a lady is known as the vulva and not the vagina, and the area above the vulva is the mons pubis. The outer lips in the vulva are known as the labia Majora while the inner lips are known as the Labia minora. Inside this, we have two holes with the thin one above known which is the hole at the end of the urethral canal for passing out urine is known as the Urethral Opening, while the second hole is the vaginal opening that allows penetration and childbirth. The vagina that you always mention is the inner canal after the vaginal opening.
The vagina is usually flat just about 2 inches when nothing is going on but this changes when there is arousal causing it to expand up to 8 inches long. Before I forget to mention, the space between the vulva and the anus is known as the perineum. Then there is the clitoris which is under the clitoral hood and that clitoris is huge reaching the pelvic cavity, and what you see outside is just the tip of the iceberg.
Similar to the penis, the clit is made up of spongy erectile tissues, and while it has been there since women became women, its full structure wasn't known until the year 2005. Before you think the clitoris is just a simple structure, it has over 10,000 nerve endings, with its main purpose being sexual pleasure.
Back to the women who are shy about their vulva because it doesn't look like what they see on posters, the reality is that there is almost no vulva as perfect as that. The labia could be bigger, longer, the clitoris could be bigger or smaller, and the hair above can be curly, straight, or bushy. To the question of wetness which I know a lot of you want to ask, when the female is aroused, blood flows to the vagina Bartholin’s gland, and the Skene’s gland to produce lubrication for the vaginal opening.
Talking about a normal vagina discharge, it is just a way for the vagina to keep itself clean after changes in its skin. The vagina releases up to 1 tablespoon of discharge daily but then again, the amount can vary from person to person. The only time it should call for worry is when the discharge becomes greenish, foamy, or smells off. Talking about smelly, if your vagina just gives this weird smell that isn't bad, you need not worry because this is just a product of the bacteria and viruses inside the vagina. They are known as the vaginal microbiome and they are responsible for keeping things normal in the vagina.
If you have any problem with your vagina or vulva, then you should visit your doctor so you can hmget the understanding and help that you deserve.
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