As far as body parts go, the v*gina is probably the most fascinating and most impressive body part you have — and chances are, you have more questions about it than you do answers. From the blended climax to a coffee-scented discharge (kidding, sort of), here are nine fascinating things that happen below the belt:
1. Your pubic hair doesn’t keep growing.
Okay, so pubic hair isn’t actually part of your v**ina, but it does protect it. Our body hair has different growth cycles, alternating between periods of growth and no growth. Pubic hair not only grows way slower than the hair on your head, but also has a longer rest cycle, which is why it only grows to a certain length.
2. Itching doesn’t necessarily mean a yeast infection.
The slightest thing can send your v**ina’s delicate ecosystem off balance — tight clothing, an ingrown hair, even your laundry detergent can cause itching and irritation. Meanwhile, discharge can be caused by other types of vaginal infections, such as bacterial vaginosis and sexually transmitted infections like trichomoniasis.. It’s best to see your gynecologist, who can determine the exact cause of your discomfort.
3. The cli**ris has more nerve endings than anywhere else.
A female climax is typically more intense than a male climax, thanks to our good friend the the cli**ris. This tiny piece of real estate has at least 8,000 nerve endings, while the man-hood only sports about 4,000. No wonder it’s such a pleasure zone.
4. Your v**ina is fully adjustable.
The v**ina can stretch in size for different reasons, such as s*x and childbirth, but it doesn’t stay that way. After the fact, it returns to its normal size, kind of like an elastic band. Some people believe slut-shaming myths like if a woman has s*x, her v**ina becomes “loose.” This is not true.
4. You can have more than one kind of climax.
It turns out there’s more than one way for women to have an climax: Female orgasms have been categorized into G-spot, vaginal, and clitoral. You can also have more than one type at the same time, which, fun fact, is called a blended climax.
5. Your diet may affect how it smells.
Okay, so foods don’t directly cause your discharge to smell differently — but they can affect the vaginal environment and therefore your scent. Strong spices, garlic, onions, and coffee are the culprits commonly known to change vaginal odor. However, if your vaginal scent is less triple espresso and more fishy, check in with your doc to rule out an infection.
6. It’s impossible to lose anything up there.
The v**ina is a narrow, elastic canal that ends in the cervix, which is basically the Fort Knox of your nether regions — nothing can get past it (except, you know, sperm). If a tampon or condom does slip out of reach, simply reaching inside your v**ina while squatting and bearing down usually does the trick.
7. Your v**ina is self-cleaning.
As if the v**ina wasn’t impressive enough, it also cleans itself. Discharge — which represents the excretion of water, bacteria, and vaginal cells — functions as the daily self-cleaning mechanism. Ironically, many products on the market that are meant to clean the v**ina can actually throw its pH balance out of whack and set the stage for yeast infections. In other words, ditch the douching and let your v**ina do its own thing.
8. There’s no such thing as a “normal” v**ina.