8 Facts About Vaginas Everyone Should Know

There is so much we don’t know about our own bodies that we absolutely should. For instance, “vagina” is probably the most misused word in the entire English language. Chalk it up to our excruciatingly horrible sex ed system (or, you know, patriarchy), but the vagina is actually the internal canal that reaches up to the cervix. The mons pubis, clitoris, inner labia, outer labia and everything else on the outside? That’s called the vulva.

So why don’t we call the vulva by its name? Probably because the vagina is literally where a penis goes during hetero intercourse, so there’s a cultural over-emphasis on making it the most important part of a woman’s body. Tidbits like these make it clear that society doesn’t care about female pleasure, and it has to stop. But learning about anatomy can help women emphasize our own pleasure.

Ahead, we have 8 magical, interesting, and very important vulva and vagina facts that you need to know.

1. The clitoris is actually bigger than you think

The clitoris goes far beyond the little bud on the top of the vulva (the glans clitoris). The glans clitoris is about 0.5 to 2 cm. Size will vary from woman to woman. But here is a whole internal part of the clit. It contains bulbous internal extensions (the vestibular bulbs) and wings on either side (the corpus cavernosum). The entire clitoris can reach up to five inches in some women. Five inches is roughly the size of the average penis.

2. Did you know the outer labia are essentially a ballsack?

Female and male anatomy is far more similar than it is different. Most of the vulva has an analogous counterpart in male genitals. The head of the penis is the same as the external clitoris (the part you can see). Go figure!

What’s more, the outer lips of your labia (aka: the labia majora) are the same as the male scrotum. The outer lips are there to protect the inner parts of the vulva, just like the scrotum protects the testes.

3. The vaginal canal is not this endless tunnel

You may think the vagina is some endless, cavernous piece of anatomy, but you would be wrong. When the vagina is not sexually aroused, the walls lie flush against one another. The canal is actually quite short, extending about 3 to 4 inches in length. But when aroused, the canal can expand to nearly 6 or 7 inches to accommodate a penis, finger, or toy.

During arousal, the vaginal canal naturally lubricates. While you may be in a hurry to get busy, if you don’t wait until the vagina is fully aroused, sex can be painful and/or cause tearing. This is one of the many reasons most women have experienced pain during sex at one point or other, we weren’t totally turned on. Once again a lack of understanding of how bodies work cause women harm. Don’t forget many woman have painful sex due to conditions like vaginismus, endometriosis, and more. Lube is always, always a must.

4. The clitoris has almost 8,000 nerve endings

While somewhat contested, many experts believe that the clitoris has more concentrated, touch-sensitive nerves than anywhere else on the human body. The majority of these nerve endings are clustered in the glans clitoris, the nubbin you see on the outside of the vulva.

When sexually aroused, the clitoris can expand to 200 percent its normal size. The labia also respond, turning pink or red.

5. Chances are, you require clitoral stimulation to have an orgasm

Studies have shown that only 25 percent of women can have an orgasm through intercourse alone. Unfortunately, the study from which this widely cited stat comes from neglects to take into account the women who stimulated their external clitoris during intercourse.

The pleasure gap exists because women are not getting clitoral stimulation during P in the V sex. You simply do not produce orgasms this way. We need to educate ourselves and choose to hold female pleasure with the same weight in which we hold men’s. Once we do this, the pleasure gap will finally die.

6. You never, ever clean a vagina

The vagina is a miraculous wonder and that takes care of itself. It is a completely self-cleaning organ, expelling toxins and bacteria all on its own. Do not ever wash your vagina with soap. Even mild soap can cause irritation and infection. If you use soap on the inner lips or your vagina, you could wind up with bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection, not to mention a foul odor, itching, or irritation. In short, the vagina has a self-balanced ecosystem and it does not need you mucking around with it. Don’t go shooting water up there.

7. Everyone has the anatomical parts to squirt, but not every woman does

Every woman’s body contains the Skene’s Gland. This gland is located near the urethral sponge (the area where the G-spot lives).

When either the gland or G-spot are stimulated, the Skene’s Gland has the ability to expel an alkaline fluid very similar to prostate fluid. It is not urine. It might contain some urine, since it is so close to the urethral sponge, but it is not urine.

Whether or not you squirt is subjective. Some people squirt and others simply don’t. It’s one of those mysterious sex things we can’t explain. While every woman can technically squirt, many do not.

8. Vaginas do not get “loose”

This is wild myth designed to keep women chaste. If you’re afraid of your vagina getting looser if you have too much sex, you might not have sex. We’re calling major BS on this one.

The vagina is a muscle. A very strong one. It has the ability to stretch to push out a baby’s head and then return to its original size. Just like every single muscle in the human body, the only thing that causes vaginal loosening is the ravages of time and gravity.

Nothing is going to make a vagina “looser.” No amount of dildos, penises, gang bangs, extensive sexual histories or anything else is ever going to result in a stretched out vagina. Do your Kegels for a strong pelvic floor (the sling-like muscles that reach from pelvis to anus to hold in your lower organs) and get on with your bad self.

Article republished from Refinery29:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/vagina-facts-to-know