Ah, the vagina! It’s such a wondrous thing, isn’t it? They have so many names for it (although, some are downright weird, we must admit), and there are so many uses of it! Your baby’s gateway to the world, your introduction to how men can be totally frustrating, your strength, your weakness...we could really go on and on about this slightly mysterious part we were born with. The most recent time it came up in conversation was when Kangana Ranaut fearlessly sang about her Vagina to lash out at male idiocy (oh wait, was it patriarchy?) 

In any case, the truth is, we women have a wonderful thing. But there’s little we know about it, which is weird, considering how men are all too well-acquainted with their parts. So yeah, let’s get to know our vaginas, shall we?

1. It’s just one small part of the complex female plumbing. There’s the vulva, which is the part that’s visible and it has the inner and outer labia, there’s the clitoris and there’s the perineum. The vagina is actually only the narrow passage that goes from the vulva to the opening of the cervix. (You do know that the cervix is the mouth of the uterus, right?)

2. Not all vaginas have hymens. You probably heard about the hymen breaking when you have sex for the first time, right? Well, okay, here’s the thing. A lot of vaginas don’t even have hymens. Really! Some women are born without a hymen, and in others, the thickness varies from woman to woman. So the hymen proves nothing about your virginity

3. Your vagina looks different from your mom’s. It might be similar on the inside, but the length and width of the clitoris varies widely. As does the length of the outer labia. Even the inner labia is different, and can have an asymmetrical appearance. 

4. The colour has nothing to do with the rest of you. It is a misconception that if you are a fair woman, you will be fair everywhere. A lot of light-skinned women may have a deep brown or purplish labia and darker women can have a lighter vulva. The colour might vary between the parts too - a lighter vulva can have a darker perineum. 

5. The clitoris is hidden away. You can’t normally see it, and would you believe it, the clit is actually a decently big organ?!

6. Its walls are like an accordion. Think of how the accordion folds are really close together but can open up when played? Your vaginal walls are also very close to each other, but can widen up to 2 inches to accommodate the Penis. In fact, it can widen a lot more too - because an entire baby passes through it, remember?

7. You can tone it with exercise. The way your glutes get better with exercise, your vagina can also benefit from work out. And you know the best part? You can do the exercise anywhere, and yes, even in public without anyone knowing. Simply clench your muscles like you are trying to stop yourself from peeing, hold for 10 seconds and release. Do this 10 times twice a day and you’ll have a tighter grip during sex and better orgasms within a month.

8. No a big penis can’t loosen it. Like we mentioned, the vagina’s walls can open up a fair bit to accommodate a penis and even wider to let out a baby. It returns to its regular size when you are done having sex, so there is no way a big penis will loosen your vagina. It’s elastic! It does take a long while to get back to original after childbirth, but sex isn’t going to loosen it. 

9. You won’t become a virgin again. If you haven’t had sex in a while, your vagina is not going to ‘revirginize’. Your muscles might tense up a little, yes, but that’s only because you haven’t done it in some time. Otherwise, you won’t let out an ear-splitting scream when you are doing it again. 

10. You will smell more after periods. It is completely normal for the vagina to smell acidic before your period and pungent after. There might also be some smell during sex because it is on active mode. But if there is a very strong odour accompanied by a discharge, see a doctor. 

11. It’s also got millions of bacteria. But don’t go all ‘eww’ on it yet. These are good bacteria that protect it from infection. Let them be! 

12. You don’t really need to wash it. The discharge from your vagina takes care of most things. But you do need to clean between the folds of the labia and at the perineum. 

13. Definitely pee after sex. It will clean out any contaminants you may have picked up during sex and makes sure nothing gives you a UTI or vaginal infection

14. Discharge changes during your cycle. There is no need to worry if your vaginal discharge is clear one day and creamy the next day. It changes during your cycle. What’s clear during ovulation turns creamier and thicker right before your periods. 

15. Nothing can get lost it there. Not even a tampon. The mouth of the cervix is very small and it will not allow anything to get lost in the vagina or up your uterus. Also, while we are on the subject, try not to insert food. The sugar can give you an infection. 

16. You get boners too! The clitoris gets engorged with blood when you are aroused. The size, of course, varies, but you get a boner too! Woohoo!

17. You also have more nerve endings there. You have double the number of nerve endings on your clitoris than a man has on his penis. Now you know why your orgasms are so satisfying?

18. Your vagina swells up when you are aroused. See the purpose of the vagina, at least originally, was to aid procreation. So whenever you are aroused, your vagina may swell up to two-thirds its size. This is called tenting. Tenting happens to allow sperm to go up to your cervix and then farther inside. As your arousal lessens, the size gets back to normal. 

Feature Image Source: Elite Daily