The 15 most common questions about the vulva and vagina
Cycle has the answers for the most common questions regarding the vulva and the vagina.
What is the difference between the vulva and the vagina?
The vulva is the part that's visible on the outside. Everything from the pubic mound to the groin and anus, is part of the vulva. This also includes the vaginal opening, the inner and outer labia, the clitoris, and the urethra. The vagina is located inside your body and connects your uterus to the outside world.
Want to know more? This article explains everything!
What does a normal vulva look like?
matter of fact, no vulva is exactly the same and this also means that all vulvas are normal! Many proud vulva owners are not aware of how everything looks down there, and isn’t that kind of weird? We look at our butts, legs, and belly, but the vulva is left better in the dark?
Is it itchy down there and do your labia seem to have changed in appearance? These are common symptoms of Lichen Sclerosus: a fairly rare skin disease in which inflammatory cells attack the skin’s own cells. The inflammatory process causes scarring of the skin where the shape of the vulva (external part of the vagina) changes. The skin condition is most common in women in or after the perimenopause between the ages of fifty and seventy, but can also occur in children, men and younger women. Want to know more about Lichen? Read our extensive article about the condition here.You can read Charlotte’s experience with the condition here.
I am ashamed of my labia, what can I do about it?
Every vulva is different! One has long, light labia, and the other has dark and short labia. More often, the inner labia are larger than the outer labia, believe us, it’s completely normal! Our tip: get to know your own vulva better by looking at it through a mirror.
If your labia are bothering you and are causing you pain, for example, during cycling, discuss your options with your GP. But embrace those lips, they’re yours!
Can my vagina get loose when I have a lot of sex?
Okay, let’s just be honest. This is absolute nonsense and nothing to worry about. Your vagina can’t stretch beyond the point of return, get loose, or become less tight from having (a lot of) sex. Your vagina is elastic and surrounded by muscles that can contract or relax. So, if you were to insert a tampon, a finger, a toy or a penis, the vagina will stretch just enough so that the inserted item fits. Your arousal will ensure that your vagina will not only get wet, but also that it gets longer and wider at the end so you can easily insert a penis, a toy, or a finger. We call this “tenting”, “vaginal tenting”, or “vaginal ballooning”. During your arousal, more blood flows to the vulva and the labia and clitoris become engorged. The cervix and the uterus shift a little to the back and to the top to create more space. The amount of space created differs from person to person. The vagina shrinks back to its original size as soon as the tampon, finger, toy, or penis is removed. This stretching and shrinking happens each and every time something is inserted into the vagina and it doesn’t influence the normal size of the vagina at all. So, believe us when we say that your vagina does not, under any circumstances, get “loose” from having a lot of sex!
Why does my vagina smell?
A healthy vagina has an odor and this, too, is completely normal. And it’s also completely normal that the odor changes with your cycle as well. A strong odor is not ideal, but it’s also no reason for panic. This is what different types of odors can tell you:
Iron smell: is caused by a mix of bacteria, blood, and tissue that leaves the body during or after your periods. This is nothing to worry about. Tip: Change your menstrual cup, tampon, or menstrual pads often to reduce the odor.
Odor after sex: the odor after sex is the results of vaginal fluids and sperm mixing. To prevent this, you can use a condom. We also recommend avoiding lubes with a strong fragrance as this can distort the natural PH-balance which can lead to yeast infections.
Soa alert! A strong odor between your legs can also be caused by an STI. The STIs that often go hand in hand with remarkably fragrant discharge are trichomonas and gonorrhea. Read this article about the different STIs and treatments.
Bacterial vaginosis: the most common cause for any particular odors! This is not an infection but a contagious bacterium that appears when your acidity levels are disturbed. You can suffer from bacterial vaginosis more often if you have a weakened immune system. The condition usually goes away by itself. Want to know more about it? Read our article on bacterial vaginosis here.
How do I keep my vagina clean?
Don’t wash your vagina with soap, also not with ‘specialized’ soap for your nether regions. Your vagina is self-cleaning. If you wash it, only use lukewarm water. It’s important to give your vagina the opportunity to properly ventilate. Use cotton underwear and head to bed with loose shorts or even try going commando to give your vagina some space and air! Make sure everything is dry between your legs. Take off your damp sports and underpants after exercise and avoid wearing a wet bikini, wetsuit or swimming trunks for too long. Drink plenty of water, at least 2 liters a day. Want to read an extensive article about the do's and don'ts? You can do so here.
What is discharge and why do I have it?
The wall of your vagina and your cervix produce fluid and mucus to cleanse the vagina and get rid of waste products. It’s this discharge that keeps the vagina walls clean, hence making the vagina self-cleaning. Everyone with a vagina has discharge and your discharge may smell and look different from day to day depending on where you are in your cycle. Asides from smell, the color of your discharge may also vary.
Want to know what your discharge tells you about your cycle? Read our article on discharge here.
My vagina feels irritated, what can I do about it?
Over half of vagina owners camp with an innocently irritated vagina at least once in their lives. This can have multiple causes:
Using vaginal soap and washes. We advise you to only wash with water.
Using panty-liners frequently. Panty-liners close off the airflow around your vagina, producing some less-than-fragrant odors.
Wearing pants that are too tight or made from synthetic fabrics.
Sperm can disrupt your natural PH-balance, possibly causing some level of irritation. (Temporarily) use a condom to let things rest!
Not being wet enough during sex. As a result, your labia can feel swollen and produce a burning sensation. Always make sure you’re aroused enough for sex (and penetration).
Are you worried about vaginal irritation? Always contact your GP.
Want to know more? You can read our article on vaginal irritation here.
What can I do about vaginal dryness?
Dutch research has shown that 56% of women (of all ages and thus not only women in their menopause!) deal with vaginal dryness at least once. Hormones, and more specifically estrogen, influence the moistness down there. But there are some conditions, such as diabetes and endometriosis, and some medication, such as antidepressants and beta blockers, which can cause dryness down there.
A couple of practical tips:
Don’t wash your vagina with soap, but with lukewarm water.
Avoid pool chemicals. Chlorine kills bacteria, but with it the healthy bacteria in your vagina as well.
Avoid washing powders, tampons with perfume, menstrual pads or (moist) toilet paper. Perfume can affect the acidity levels in your vagina, causing the mucous membrane to thin, making your vagina drier
Make sure you’re aroused enough before sex (and penetration). Is this not the case? Discuss this with your partner and take your time. Can’t solve the problems on your own? Seek the help from a professional, for example, a sexologist.
Don’t use lube to get wet, only use it to get ‘wetter’. Lube can’t and should not replace your natural lubrication caused by arousal!
A moisturizer can provide constant moisture and restore elasticity to the vagina, as well as maintain proper acidity. There are also natural remedies available that support the vagina for dryness and irritation, such as vaginal suppositories.
Want to know more? Read our extensive article on this subject here.
How do I prevent ingrown hairs?
Don’t shave against the grain, this helps prevent irritation and bumps, because the razor blade doesn’t need to ‘tug’ on the hair before shaving. By shaving with the grain, the hairs will be able to find the exit more easily once they grow back. Make sure your razor blades are sharp! A blunt razor blade doesn’t cut the hair properly which will thin the end of your hairs and can cause infections underneath the skin. It’s important to scrub your skin to remove dead cells before you shave. Pay attention: don’t scrub inside your vagina!
Want to know more? Read this article with more practical tips!
How do I get rid of yeast infections?
A vaginal yeast infection is most commonly caused by the yeast Candida Albicans and occurs when the natural acidity levels in your vagina are disturbed. Once you have a yeast infection, the symptoms, in most cases, are easily remedied with a cream or pill from the drugstore or using natural remedies such as tea tree oil. Does it keep returning or does it not go away? Please visit your GP. You can give your vaginal acidity levels a helping hand in several ways, read our tips on how to do that here.
I keep getting UTIs after sex, why?
If you and your partner have sex and your bodies rub against each other - with all the warmth and fluids involved - gut bacteria from the anus can enter the urethra. Normally, the vagina contains acidic bacteria that fight infections, but sometimes your resistance, or the number of acidic bacteria is a little less than normal and the gut bacteria get their chance to spread and cause inflammation of the mucous membrane. To prevent an UTI, you can follow the following tips:
Empty your bladder completely before having sex, and go to the toilet again immediately after sex.
In addition, don’t wash your vagina with soap, but rinse out with water. You can easily do so with a bottle of water sitting on the toilet.
Even if you have a starting UTI, there’s still a lot you can do by yourself. For example, make sure to drink enough water (2 to 3 liters a day), eat cranberries, drink cranberry juice, or take some D-mannose supplements. Hopefully, the UTI is suppressed at an early stage. If not, visit your GP for advice and a course of antibiotics, but be cautious with those as well. Don’t take them unless specifically adviced to do so by your GP.
Want more tips? Check out this article.
My vagina hurts during sex, what do I do?
Pain during intercourse is very common, and most certainly not just with older women. A lot, and we want to stress a lot, of young women suffer from pain during sex as well. Pain is a signal to stop. Your body is telling you what to do and you should listen to the signals. We have listed the most common causes of 'vaginal pain' (dyspareunia); from simple to more serious and invasive causes with an underlying physical or medical reason:
vaginal dryness
Your partner is too well endowed
Your sex is too rough
And infection, like an STI
Latex allergy (condoms)
Hormones (if you breastfeed, for example, your vagina releases its fluids less fast)
Medical/emotional cause
Want to know more causes and how to solve them? Read this extensive article.
My vagina is different after giving birth, how?
Let's face it: Your vagina will never be like it was before you gave birth. Childbirth has a significant impact on your pelvic floor and the flexibility of the vagina. And unfortunately, it’s not possible to get back this firmness by training. That isn’t to say that training your pelvic floor muscles is useless! Your labia can change in shape as well, it can also be scarred from a cut or a tear. Even the color of the vagina can change after giving birth.
Want to know more about the changes in your body after childbirth? Including the things you were not told beforehand? Then read this article which discusses 14 things that change after giving birth.
are yoni detox pearls a must for your vagina?
The answer is really short and sweet: Absolutely not. These so-called detox pearls are horrible for your vagina. They can damage the cervical mucus and your vagina. Your vagina is self-cleaning; it doesn’t need a detox!
Want to know which products are good for your vulva and vagina? We at Cycle made a list of our top 5 favorite products! You can view the list here.
