It cleans itself. That's what vaginal discharge is for, after all.
Having a clear or white-ish discharge is perfectly healthy, and it
flushes out bacteria and old cells to prevent any unwanted pathogens
from entering the uterus. So there's no need for you to come at your
vagina with scented soaps—only baby shampoo, please—as you don't want to
upset its pH balance. And for the love of all things healthy, don't
douche. You'll only regret it.
It can change color. Everyone knows that va-jay-jays come in all shapes
and sizes, thanks to genetics, but just because it starts as one color
doesn't mean it'll stay that way. "During sexual arousal or pregnancy,
blood flow to the genitals changes and that can result in a color
change," usually making it a deeper, darker color, says Michael
Krychman, M.D., gynecologist and executive director of the Southern
California Center for Sexual Health. Then there's menopause to
consider—Dr. Krychman says the loss of estrogen during this stage of a
woman's life can also cause the vagina to change color, usually a
lighter or more dull shade than before. While we applaud its
chameleon-like capabilities, the color versatility is normal and nothing
to be concerned about.
It can get bigger. When you're ready to get busy with your man, there's a
lot of blood flowing down to the nether regions, and blood vessels in
the vagina become dilated. "This causes the vagina and genitopelvic area
to become enlarged, which is known as vaginal tenting," says Dr.
Krychman. So basically, the more turned on you are, the larger your
vagina could potentially grow.
It can get stronger. No, we're not here to tell you to do more Kegels
(you already know they can give you a better orgasm). What we want to
discuss is your pelvic floor—about 1 in 3 women experience some form of
pelvic floor muscle dysfunction (PFMD), and those who do deal with
bladder control issues, urine leakage, and pain. And it's not just a
problem for older women or those who've had children—Leslie Rickey,
M.D., fellowship director of female pelvic medicine at Yale University,
says she sees it in patients across every age, including young women in
their early 20s who haven't had kids yet.
The good news is that you can do something about it. "Pelvic floor
exercises have been shown to be extremely effective as a first-line
therapy for bladder control issues," says Dr. Rickey. You can either
visit a pelvic floor physical therapist, or do them on your own—there's
even an FDA-certified app, PeriCoach, to guide you. "It's like going to
the gym for your vagina," explains Dr. Rickey. "There's a small device
you can buy that goes in the vagina, and it measures the contraction of
your pelvic floor muscles. It'll provide suggestions for how to both
strengthen the contraction and the release, which is equally as
important—you want to be at a baseline level where your pelvic floor can
be completely relaxed."
Otherwise, she suggests cutting down on caffeine, not over-saturating
your body with too much water (the Institute of Medicine recommends
women drink nine cups per day), and even training your bladder to wait
longer between bathroom breaks. And no, it won't cause an infection if
you wait about three hours—the average amount of time Dr. Rickey says
you should be able to wait when drinking the recommended amount of
water—between visits, she says.
It can talk to you. From whether you're in baby-making mode or about to
get your period, to if there's a serious health risk like cancer
potentially going on, your vagina has a lot of important things it's
ready to tell you. You just have to listen. If you notice something
different-than-usual is going on, it's usually best to head to the doc
to get it checked out.
It could save lives. There's currently a clinical trial testing the
safety of endometrial regenerative cells (ERC), or "stem cells," to
treat congestive heart failure patients. These stem cells are extracted
from menstrual blood and grown to generate different types of cells in
the body. In this case, the stem cells are made into muscle cells of the
heart. Right now it's just an experimental foreign study, and not
something that is being done with any regularity, but you never
know—someday it could help patients suffering from heart failure.
It protects itself. In case you were wondering, "the vagina isn't
endless," says Dr. Rickey. So there's no chance something—a tampon,
condom, menstrual cup, whatever—is going to get lost. "The vagina
connects to the uterus, but the cervix acts like a barrier between the
two. It would be very difficult for anything to get through the small
opening that is there (that's how sperm get through, FYI)."
It can trap a penis. We're not kidding. It's known as penis captivus—a
fitting name, if you ask us, as it literally holds a penis captive when
it occurs. Dr. Krychman notes that it's an extremely rare phenomena, but
it has been reported in several case studies. Basically, what happens
is that during intercourse, "the pelvic muscles of the vagina clamp down
on the penis much more firmly than usual, which can make it difficult
or impossible to remove the penis from the vagina." It might make an
extremely awkward (not to mention difficult to navigate) trip to the
doctor, but Dr. Krychman says if this happens to call 911 right away,
stay calm, and lie very still until help arrives.
It can have four different kinds of orgasm. Last time we checked, guys
could only have one. That's not the case for women, as we experience
orgasms differently. For us, orgasms can be divided into four
categories: clitoral, vaginal, blended, and multiple. A breakdown,
according to Dr. Krychman:
- Clitoral: When you orgasm simply through the stimulation of the clitoris, without vaginal penetration.
- Vaginal: An orgasm that's a result of vaginal penetration, primarily, with little or no clitoral stimulation.
- Blended: When you have clitoral, vaginal, and cervical stimulation (cervical stimulation can be painful for some women and pleasurable for others).
- Multiple: What we consider the holy grail, or when a woman slightly relaxes after one orgasm—but not completely—and is then aroused again, resulting in "multiple experiences of orgasmic pleasure in rapid succession."