How Well Do You Know Your Vagina?
Using accurate names fosters a healthier relationship with your body and helps in open and honest communication. Imagine a world where we don't need a secret code to discuss our own anatomy—now that's liberating! Plus, using the correct term, "vulva," adds a dash of sophistication to the conversation. It's time to say cheerio to euphemisms and let the vulva shine in all its glory, proudly taking centre stage in the grand play of life! After all, when it comes to our bodies, clarity is the ultimate superpower.
In a recent survey in the USA, an extraordinary 73% of women didn’t know the correct names for their genitals and in the UK, half of women could not properly label a vagina on a diagram. Calling things by the correct terminology is important for many reasons – to ‘own’ your body and to be able to properly talk with your doctor or nurse about any vaginal health issues you may have and importantly to understand your own ‘bits’ (sorry) so that you can tell your partner what you like or don’t like.
"50% of women could not name their vaginal anatomy on a diagram!"
Here is a diagram of the female genitalia with all the parts labelled correctly:
The Vulva is the ‘outside bit’. It is what you mostly see when you look in a mirror and it is mainly made-up of your labia. Labia is Latin for ‘lips’ and this is what a lot of people think that the Labia look like. They have an amazing variation – from small and tucked-away, to large and clear to see. The range of ‘normal’ is very wide and you shouldn’t worry that your vulva doesn’t look right – it is almost certainly perfect, it might just not look like what you may see in pornography.
In the picture below, we can see an art installation called the "Great Wall Of Vulva" it shows casts of hundreds of vulvas none of which look the same at all.
The Vagina is the passage from your reproductive organs – your womb or uterus, to the outside. It is where the blood from your uterus comes out during your period, where penetration happens in vaginal sex and where a baby comes out in childbirth. It is an amazing part of the body which does all of these things and is also home to the Vaginal Microbiome. This collection of friendly bacteria helps your body keep your vagina free from infections and working well so that you can do all the things that you want to do.
The Urethra is where your pee comes out of. It is positioned above your vagina. You can see from the diagrams that it is quite close to your bottom, so this is why you should always wipe from front to back so you are not introducing lots of bad bacteria from your bottom into your urethra as this may give you a UTI/cystitis.
The Clitoris is the fun part of your sexual and reproductive anatomy. Most people think that it is just a small nub at the top of the vulva but it is much, much more than that! The clitoris is a complex of sensitive nerves which are much bigger than the small part that you can feel or see if you look in a mirror. It is your body’s most sensitive sexual area and its only purpose is for you to feel sexual pleasure. Your clitoris is sensitive to all types of touch and the ones that give the most pleasure vary from person to person. You should experiment with different types of touch by yourself or with a partner to see which you like the best.
