Their vagina aren't meant to expand and contract like a
reproductive-age woman. When they go through puberty and start making
estrogen, you have the ability for the vagina to stretch and elongate.
Sure, as a woman, you have yours, but how much do you really know
about the vagina? Most women have been entertaining the wrong ideas
regarding their daily bits.
These ideas, at best, might cause you to look at your vagina wrongly,
and at worst, can lead to infection and cause you to hurt yourself.
Here are four biggest myths about the vagina.
Myth: Everything "down there" is the vagina.
Reality: The external part of the female sex organ is actually the
vulva . The vagina is actually just the tube inside that runs from the
uterus and cervix to the vaginal opening. The vulva, on the other
hand, is the all-in-one term for the entire external shebang:
clitoris, urethral opening (pee hole), inner and outer labia (lips),
vaginal opening, perineum (taint), and anus. The vagina itself is made
of both muscle and elastic and runs from the vulva — the external
female sex organ — to the cervix (the mouth of the uterus).
Myth: Your vagina stays the same throughout your life
Reality: Before puberty, little girls' vaginas are very small because
in actuality, nothing is meant to go into their vaginas. Their vaginas
aren't meant to expand and contract like a reproductive-age woman.
When they go through puberty and start making estrogen, you have the
ability for the vagina to stretch and elongate. Puberty isn't the only
time the vagina shifts gears as a result of hormones. Once you lose
the ability to produce estrogen — when you're peri-menopausal or
post-menopausal — there is reduced elasticity and reduced ability [for
the vagina] to elongate, which can lead to pain during intercourse for
older women.
Myth: Vaginas are dirty!
Reality: "This couldn't be further from the truth. Vaginas are
self-cleaning (like the eyes) — that's what vaginal discharge, like
tears and eye discharge, is for. It keeps women's bodies clean. The
number one misconception regarding the vagina and vaginal health is
that the vagina is dirty. While many women think that it needs to be
cleaned with soap, deodorized, douched, etc., the use of products to
clean the vagina itself [can] actually cause far more harm than good —
by destroying the natural, balanced ecology of the vagina and
contributing to recurrent yeast and bacterial infections." One of the
main reasons for women to not douche or use scented products is risk
of causing an infection or inflammation — for most women, inflammation
occurs outside on the vulva and is a contact dermatitis that is
basically a skin inflammation. Douching can not only cause bacterial
vaginosis, but should you have been exposed to a sexually transmitted
disease (STD) like chlamydia, douching will only serve to push the
disease bacteria further up into your vagina.
Myth: Vaginas stink.
Reality: Every woman has her own scent and it should never be foul to
her or her partner. A woman's vaginal odor can change throughout her
menstrual cycle, and could even be more noticeable after sex; sweating
can also lead to some vaginal odor. Ultimately, if your vaginal odor
is not accompanied by other symptoms, then it's probably not abnormal.
Plus, keep in mind that while you may feel self-conscious about your
vaginal odor, chances are very low that other people (who aren't
having intimate contact with you) can smell it. In fact, most people
really like the way their partners'vaginas and vulvas smell. It's the
kind of smell that is an important part of what makes sex sexy for
them.
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