7 Vagina Facts You May Not Know

The Wonder Down Under—written by coauthors and sex educators Nina Brochmann, MD, and Ellen Stokken Dahl—covered a lot concerning sex and sexual health. Below are seven facts from the book about or related to the vagina.

The Clitoris Is More Complex Than You Think

Most people think the clitoris is a small pleasure zone tucked inside the vulva. In actuality, the clitoris extends well into the pelvis and develops from the same tissue as a penis during fetal growth.

"Up until about the twelfth week in the uterus, the genital tracts of male and female embryos are exactly alike, dominated by a kind of mini-penis (or gigaclitoris!) known as the genital tubercle," Dr. Brochmann and Stokken Dahl wrote. "It has the potential to develop into either a female or male sexual organ. Since the penis and clitoris both develop from the same basic structure, the two organs share many similarities of form and function."

Cheaper Razors Are Better for Shaving

Opt for using single-blade razors if you plan to shave your pubic hair. Pricier ones that come with multiple blades are more likely to cause ingrown hairs since each additional blade cuts hair farther beneath the skin's surface. "What's more, the high price means that a lot of people avoid changing blades as often as they should so that the blades become blunt and covered in bacteria," according to Dr. Brochmann and Stokken Dahl.

Discharge Is for Cleanliness

Vaginal discharge, whitish or clear fluid (depending on where you are in your cycle), contains good bacteria like lactobacilli to help ward off infections.

"The purpose of discharge is to keep the vagina clean and to flush out unwelcome guests such as fungi and bacteria, as well as dead cells from the surface of the mucous membrane," Dr. Brochmann and Stokken Dahl wrote. Furthermore, vaginal discharge also helps lubricate the mucous membranes in the vagina. Without it, tears, sores, painful sex, and STIs would more likely occur during sex.

The Days of Your Period Add Up Over Time

Menstruation can take up a lot of time in your lifetime. If you bleed once a month for five days—which is the average length of time for periods—that's 60 days of bleeding every year. If you have a period for 40 years, that's 2,400 days of menstruation, which equals a little over 6.5 years throughout your life.

You Don't Have To Stop Certain Types of Physical Activity During Your Period

Avid practitioners of yoga have probably heard yoga instructors advise against inversions (like handstands or headstands) while menstruating. Yet there's no reason to avoid any challenging poses. "Periods are the expulsion of the endometrium. You get no more and no less endometrial growth no matter what you do," Dr. Brochmann and Stokken Dahl said.

The only thing to be wary of is how hard you exercise during your menstrual cycle. The Office on Women's Health (OWH) stated that irregular or missed periods could occur from exercising too much.

Post-Exercise Sex Can Be Beneficial

An October 2018 study published in Sexual Medicine Reviews noted the following: "Acute exercise influences a number of bodily systems that could feasibly impact women's physiological sexual arousal." In other words, you may have more enjoyable sex if you choose to do so after finishing a workout.

"Exercise, especially right before sex, makes it easier for you to get aroused and increases many people's capacity to reach orgasm," Brochmann and Stokken Dahl wrote.

Every Person Does Not Experience PMS

People may attribute pre-period mood swings and chocolate cravings to symptoms of PMS. However, according to the OWH, "three in four women say they get PMS symptoms at some point in their lifetime. For most women, PMS symptoms are mild"—meaning 25% of women do not ever have symptoms of PMS. "Moreover, the symptoms must start and stop at the times typical for PMS: They must start in the premenstrual phase and stop when your period arrives," Dr. Brochmann and Stokken Dahl said.

However, you may want to pay more attention if your symptoms of PMS are so severe that they prevent you from engaging in everyday life. At that point, you might be dealing with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, per MedlinePlus.

Overall, it's good to be informed about the body, but if you still have questions or concerns about any part of the body, talk with your healthcare provider.