16 Interesting Facts About the Vagina

As of 2017, 49.6% of the world's population is women. With that many vagina's out there, you would think everyone would know all there is to know about it. Unfortunately, many people are walking around with misinformation regarding vaginas, even vagina owners themselves. 

How is this possible? For some reason, talking about vaginas is still a taboo subject. As a matter of fact, 65% of women have a hard time just saying the word. 

16 Facts About the Vagina

The Vagina is an amazing organ that can do so many things. Here are just a few…

1. A vagina changes size and shape when a woman is aroused. 

This is called vaginal tenting. A vagina averages about 3-4 inches in length, but when aroused, the uterus is pulled upward, which pulls the cervix up, making the vagina change in size and  

2. Much like a fingerprint, a vagina's smell is unique. 

No two vaginas smell the same, and yes, a vagina is supposed to have a slight smell. A vagina's smell is affected by factors like what type of internal bacteria you have, what fabrics you wear, and what you eat.

3. The Vagina is a self-cleaning machine. 

A vagina needs no outside help to clean itself because it has a self-cleaning feature built right in. There are glands inside the vagina that release fluids specifically designed to cleanse and lubricate the Vagina, flush out bacteria, and maintain a healthy pH. Therefore, you do not actually need to douche. Research has shown a link between douching and bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory infections, and even ectopic pregnancies.  

4. Vaginas are extremely resilient. 

Vaginal and cervical tissue is equipped to deal with the most extreme stressors imaginable, childbirth. In fact, 79% of vaginal births experience tears in their cervical tissue or require an episiotomy. This is why the doctor recommends no sex for 6 weeks to give the vagina time to heal properly. 

5. A Vagina is usually set at a 130-degree angle. 

Most women who use tampons know that you'll hit a wall if you try inserting a tampon with an upwards and in motion. For easier insertion, try angling the tampon down first and then glide it in. 

6. Vaginal Weightlifting is a thing.

Yes, a vagina can actually lift weights. Vaginal weightlifting is where someone inserts an 'anchor' into the Vagina. Attached to the 'anchor' is a weight hanging on a string. The way it works is you squeeze pelvic floor muscles, much like you do when you perform Kegel exercises, and then you lift and hold the weight off the ground. Check out Healthline's article on vaginal weightlifting to learn more. 

7. There are some people in this world who are walking around with two vaginas.

Uterus didelphys is a rare condition where a woman is born with two uteruses. Women with this type of anatomy will often have two separate vaginal openings divided by a thin membrane. Women with this condition can still get pregnant and deliver a baby. Still, it does come with a higher risk of miscarriage or going into labor before the due date. 

8. You can't actually lose anything in a vagina. 

If you've used tampons, a diaphragm, or even small sex toys before, you've had that fearful thought of, "Can this get lost in my body?" It can not. At the end of your Vagina is your cervix. While it opens during your menstrual period and when you are fertile, that opening is very small. The only time a cervix is open wide enough for something to pass through is when a baby is being born. However, it is possible to forget you placed something up there or that it is too far up your vaginal canal for you to reach. 

9. Queefing is normal, and it is not the same as farting. 

Queefing is a term used for when air is emitted from the Vagina, and no, it is not like a fart. The air that comes out is trapped air that arrived from the same opening, the vaginal canal. So even though it might sound like a fart, it has no smell because it is not a gas created from waste. 

10. Vaginas have something in common with sharks. 

Believe it or not, vaginas do have something in common with sharks. Vaginas release a natural lubricant, which contains a compound called squalene. This compound can also be found in shark liver. If the name squalene rings a bell, it is because it's a controversial compound used in some lotions, hair products, and sunscreens. 

11. Hymen's are not a sign of virginity. 

The hymen is a thin piece of tissue that either surrounds or partially covers the outer part of the Vagina. It was once believed (and unfortunately still believed by some today) that having a hymen that is still intact is a sign of virginity. It is not. Not everyone with a vagina is born with a hymen. Those that are can tear their hymen tissue in a number of ways that don't involve insertion. 

12. A vagina is like a fine wine. 

Some people love to compare a vagina to fine wine. Whether they know it or not, they aren't actually wrong. Both vaginas and wine have similar pH levels. A vagina has a pH range of 3.8 to 4.5, while wine usually has around 3.0 to 4.0. 

13. The consistency of vaginal discharge can be like reading tea leaves. 

Vaginal discharge can help you see into your immediate reproductive future. Healthy discharge can tell you a lot about where your body is on its monthly cycle and whether or not it is a good time to try to get pregnant. For example, a cloudy white discharge means you are about to ovulate or have just finished ovulating. White discharge means you are ovulating. Sticky discharge means your period is about to start or has just finished. 

14. Size really doesn't matter to a vagina. 

Whether your member is 2 inches long or 6, it doesn't matter when it comes to pleasuring the Vagina because the first 2 inches are where the majority of the nerve endings can be found. However, some people like the feeling of their cervix being stimulated, leading to a desire for a partner or toy on the longer side. 

15. Some women are born without a vagina. 

It is estimated that between 5,000 to 7,000 female babies are born without a vagina. This condition is known as vaginal agenesis and can sometimes go unnoticed until puberty. 

16. A vagina can literally fall out. 

Yes, you read that correctly. A vaginal prolapse is where a vagina slips out of its normal position. There are different levels of prolapse, with the largest being a complete prolapse. This can result in part of the organ sticking outside of the vaginal opening. This is a very severe level of prolapse and not common. 

Interesting Vagina Trivia

The Story of Menstruation was the first movie to use the word vagina. It was made back in 1946 and was by Disney. 

A novel was published in 2006 called The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III. The character, Stacy, has a vagina that becomes the portal to the world of the dead. 

In the 1800s, a 7ft 5in woman named Anna Swann gave birth to a 23lb baby with a 19-inch head. OUCH!

In 2011 a woman was charged with possession of heroin. It is reported that 54 bags were found inside her Vagina. 

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Resources:

• 25 Amazing Vagina Facts All Women Should Know | Glamour
• 23 Vagina Facts You'll Want to Tell All Your Friends (healthline.com)
• Vagina facts: What are the 10 things you should know? (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Vagina Facts - 60 Weird Vagina Facts to Know Today (factslegend.org)
• 15 Vagina Facts That Would Make Penises Jealous | SELF
• 50 Thought-Provoking Vagina Facts | FactRetriever.com

External Hyperlinks:

• https://ourworldindata.org/gender-ratio#:~:text=The%20sex%20ratio%20%E2%80%93%20the%20share%20of%20the,ratio%20of%20populations%20varies%20and%20is%20rarely%20equal%3A
• https://eveappeal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/The-Eve-Appeal-Vagina-Dialogues.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2567125/#:~:text=Douching%20has%20been%20associated%20with%20many%20adverse%20outcomes,diseases%2C%20ectopic%20pregnancy%2C%20recurrent%20vulvovaginal%20candidiasis%2C%20and%20infertility.
• https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/News-Releases/2016/Ob-Gyns-Can-Prevent-and-Manage-Obstetric-Lacerations 
• https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/vaginal-weight-lifting
• https://www.webmd.com/women/uterine-didelphys-double-uterus
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymen
• https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/vaginal-discharge/all-types-of-vaginal-discharge-what-do-they-really-indicate
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17597-vaginal-prolapse
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Menstruation
• https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/58557-the-haunted-vagina
• https://historicnovascotia.ca/items/show/197
• https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2011/03/womans_remarkable_vagina_hid_5.html

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• https://bedgeek.com/blogs/news/11-different-types-of-orgasms-and-how-to-achieve-them?_pos=1&_sid=1641d1b74&_ss=r
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