Did you know? The word 'vagina' wasn't actually used until 1682. Before that, the most common word was one that's considered a curse word today. It’s actually pretty daunting to know uncommon facts about an organ that females live with every single day.
It pays to know a thing or two about your lady parts. Find out more facts you may or may not know below!
1. It’s like a self-cleaning oven. See discharge often? White or clear discharge is generally nothing to worry about. The vagina is actually very good at cleaning itself and this just shows it's doing its job.
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2. Most women have or will experience thrush. 75% of women will suffer from thrush in their lifetime. It's caused by an overgrowth of yeast called candida albicans, which is found in the vagina and on the skin of many women. It can develop when conditions in the vagina change – such as when taking antibiotics, when hormone changes occur due to pregnancy, when you have diabetes or if your immune system is weak.
3. Smelling fishy – can actually mean your vagina’s way too clean. If you notice a fishy smell down below, it could indicate an imbalance in pH levels – and might actually be caused by being too clean. Our vaginas naturally contain bacteria that keep them healthy, so if you douche, wash internally or use too much soap, you actually remove good bacteria and bad ones can take over which can cause that fishy unpleasant smell.
Leave your vagina to clean itself as much as possible, that means opting out of perfumed soaps and using more natural cleaners and even rinsing with just warm water.
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4. A vagina can heal itself within 2 days tops! Your vagina is better than most other parts of the body at healing itself, as the cells replenish very quickly. Rips and tears can actually heal within 48 hours.
5. Your emotions are directly connected to your vagina. The vagina is essentially a tube, around 10cm long. When you're relaxed, the walls touch – then when you get excited, they widen by 7.5cms and stretch 5cms longer, to allow penetration to come easy.
Vaginismus is a condition where the muscles at the entrance to the vagina shut tightly, sometimes preventing penetration or making it very painful. It usually has an emotional cause, brought on by fears or concerns about sex, perhaps because of a negative experience in the past.
6. As cool as they are, tampons are not our friends. They can actually give you vaginal ulcers which can make you more susceptible to STIs. To avoid them, don't use tampons with a higher absorbency than you need. This can also cause toxic shock syndrome, especially if you leave your tampon in for longer than the recommended eight hours.
Tia Muhammad, BS, is an award-winning freelance content & media creative, copywriter, blogger, digital designer, and marketing consultant. She owns the boutique content and digital media company, jackieGLDN|studio.
