It’s fair to say there are some key things you should know about a vagina. Other than the fact that women have them and most men like them. The vagina is a source of mystery for most men, even when you get to visit a vagina on a regular basis.
Knowing your way around a vagina might be a given. We’ve all heard about the famous clitoris, the legendary G-spot and the myths of squirting. Vagina-owners get to know their own vaginas pretty well, it’s one of the perks of having them.
But for vagina-less people, it can be a source of intrigue. Knowing how to have sex is a basic lesson but knowing more about a vagina can make you a pro. Well maybe not a pro at sex unless you’re a porn star, but clued up at least.
1. The Anatomy of a Vagina
Some people think the vagina where you put your penis is what carries a baby. Newsflash. It’s not. During child birth, a baby does indeed pass through the vaginal canal where your penis goes. But if you have sex with a woman while she’s pregnant there’s no chance of your tip touching the baby’s head.
You’d need a mega long and narrow dick because the cervix is in the way and marks the difference from the vaginal canal and the uterus. The uterus is where a baby waits for nine months before being delivered in labour.
What you can see externally and call a “vagina” isn’t technically the vagina itself. The mons pubis is the triangle of happiness. Naturally, as there are over 8,000 nerve endings around a woman’s vagina.
The little nub of heaven we call a clitoris is above our vaginal opening and can stick out if we get turned on enough. We have two sets of lips, the labia majora and the labia minora. Plus we have a clitoral hood for tucking away our magic button and a urethra (pee hole) as well.
Next time you look at a girls’ vulva, you should be able to label her anatomy with confidence. The bush (or where her bush would be) denotes the pubic mons, the external lips are the labia majora and when you part them you should see her more delicate labia minora. At the top of her labia minora is her clitoral hood and clitoris, below it is the urethra (pee hole) and below this is her vaginal opening.
Once you go inside, you’re in the vaginal canal and if you push too deep, you’ll hit her cervix. Beyond that is the uterus where babies are kept and of course her reproductive system. But internally the main thing you should know about is her G-spot and hopefully learn how to find it.
2. Vaginas getting wet
It’s commonly thought that when a woman is aroused she’ll get wet. Generally that’s true. As part of sexual arousal, the female body responds to mental and/or physical stimulation and begins to prepare for sexual intercourse. Part of this involves the vagina self lubricating internally.
Now while a woman can be turned on and get wet quickly, different factors affect this. A large influence on how wet a woman gets is her menstrual cycle a.k.a her period. After having a period, her hormone levels will be lower and she may find it takes longer to get wet enough for sex. Or lube may be needed.
Compare this to how wet she should be around ovulation and you may be looking at an oasis vs the Sahara desert. At the time of ovulation, the female body produces more vaginal fluids than usual which theoretically make sex and conception easier. So you might not need as much lube at this time.
But equally, a woman can be aroused and not get very wet at all. This could be due to any combination of emotional, mental or physical factors. As well as the influence of her birth control and age. So to make things smoother all round, having a tube of lube in the bedside drawer will help!
3. Vaginal Orgasms
Most women struggle to orgasm through vaginal intercourse alone. In fact, a study in 2009 suggests that 75% of all women are unable to do so. That means plain penis-in-vagina sex without toys or oral sex can be a little lack lustre.
Why? Because the female orgasm is typically more complex than the male orgasm. Whereas the vast majority of men do orgasm through penetrative sex, a lot of women struggle to climax. Usually meaning that fore play is also needed to give women a better chance of orgasm during sex.
There’s a reason why sex toys like vibrators are so popular. Women are able to make themselves cum on their own terms within their own time. A mistake many men make is not focusing on their partner’s pleasure enough. Often skipping over oral sex altogether or simply not doing it for long enough.
To increase the chances of your girlfriend having an orgasm, make sure you aren’t making any major oral sex mistakes. Get familiar with the female orgasm vs the male orgasm. Then set to work with your best efforts, it’s a hard job but someone has to make her cum…
4. Squirting
Squirting is something you’ve likely seen once or twice in porn. The idea that women can ejaculate from their vaginas during sex is provocative. Some people simply dismiss the idea of women squirting as a matter of urinary incontinence. Claiming that women don’t squirt during sex at all but are simply wetting themselves.
This isn’t strictly true as research has proven women can in fact ejaculate during sex. Although it’s not done in quite the same way as men ejaculate. Female squirting can be a struggle to achieve and usually requires a woman being able to relax enough to do it. The intense pleasure women may feel when their G-spot is stimulated can be similar to the feeling of needing to pee.
So it’s hardly surprising that some pee may come out when a woman squirts because she’s excited. But female ejaculation isn’t just urine, but is an expulsion of vaginal fluid too. Some women may squirt liquid from their urethra which originates in their bladder and also ejaculate vaginal fluid from their vagina.
Quite simply squirting is more complex than most of us realise. There is an element of diluted urine involved and vaginal fluid. Some women can do it and some women can’t or they do a combination of the two. Either way, if you manage to make a woman gush – you’re probably doing the right thing!
5. Vaginas aren’t dirty
Some people wrongly think that vaginas are dirty. On behalf of all vagina-owners, I’d like to correct this. Vaginas are actually self cleaning and are not actually ‘dirty.’ Every woman has different bathroom habits but vaginas are still awesome.
When women have vaginal discharge, it’s their body cleaning out what was left behind. The same goes for periods, menstrual blood is the uterus removing the old lining and making way for the new one. Periods usually occur monthly when a woman doesn’t conceive and her cycle restarts. Like spring cleaning with cramps.
Some women do have a slight odour down below. Which is fairly normal, after all everybody smells different based on how much exercise they’ve done that day, shower routines and their own natural hormones.
Due to the presence of natural bacteria and a acidic pH balance, a lot of women may have a slightly sour smell. It could be musky, sweet or even fairly plain. It’s normal for there to be a slight odour but it isn’t something you’d ordinarily notice. Without of course sticking your face down there. Dr Heather Rupe suggests you should be able to smell a vagina from a foot away in her blog post ‘Why Does my Vagina smell?’ on WebMD.
If your girlfriend does have a different smell to her vagina, it may be worth going to the doctor. Often a ‘fishy’ smell indicates that she has bacterial vaginosis (BV) or a yeasty smell might mean she has thrush. Both of which are easily treatable.
When women use perfumed soaps, body lotions and douches, they can upset the natural balance of their vagina. This affects the pH and can cause an increased risk of getting thrush, BV or other bacterial infections. So embrace the natural musk of the ladygarden, some people even make beer from vaginal flora!
So in synopsis, vaginas are awesome and if you have the chance to visit one you should be appreciative. Knowing your way around a vagina helps and practice makes perfect. Respect the bush, hunt for the G-spot and find the lost clit. Your girlfriend will thank you for it.