Hidden facts you don't know about your vagina unveiled here

Sure, your vagina has been with you your entire life, but how much do you actually know about it? Whether you've been too shy to ask or don't know where to look for information, chances are there are plenty of things that you've wondered about the area "down there." From what to expect after childbirth to normal sexual functions, read on to find out surprising facts you may not know about your lady parts.
1. It cleans itself.
Step away from the soap and harsh cleansers, gals. Your vagina keeps itself clean. “It’s lined by a variety of glands that produce the fluids needed to both lubricate and cleanse the vaginal area,” says Lisa Stern, APRN, a nurse practitioner who works with Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles. “The vast majority of vaginal infections I see in my office are self-induced—generally by women who think they’re doing a good thing by washing their vagina with soap and water, or worse, with douche.” Bath products, particularly those with chemical dyes or fragrances, canirritate the vagina and wash away the beneficial lubricants and flora (bacteria and yeast) that are normal and natural, she says. When these beneficial compounds get washed away, anaerobic bacteria and yeast proliferate and can cause symptoms like discharge, odor anditching. Lesson learned: While a little mild soap on the labia area is OK, your body does a fine job of keeping the insides clean.
2. It grows in size when aroused.
“The average length ofa vagina is 3 to 4 inches long,” says LissaRankin, MD, gynecologist and author of What's Up Down There? Questions You'd Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend. Sounds sort of small, and possibly unaccommodating to your well-endowed husband or partner, right? Fear not, nature makes room. “It can double in length when aroused,” Dr. Rankin explains. But she adds that many women still have pain during sex when their partner is on the larger side. She recommends using plenty of lubricant and going slow. “Encourage your partner to have fun with foreplay,” shesays. “The more aroused you feel, the less intercourse will hurt.”
3. Just like your face, your vagina also wrinkles with age.
It’s a fact of life: The appearance of your lady parts may change with age. “The labia may become less plump as estrogen levels wane, fatty pads in the labia shrink and less collagen can lead to more sagging,” says Dr. Rankin. “The skin of the vulva may darken or lighten and the clitoris may shrink. It’s normal either way.” Scary? Nah. “These changes, whichare often related to decreasing levels of estrogen, do not affect how much pleasure your girl parts can bring you.”
4. You can’t lose something in your vagina (like a tampon).
Everyone’s heard the myth that things can get “lost” in there. “The vagina is boundedat the inner end by the cervix and by the vagina’s own tissue,” says Stern. In other words, your vagina is not connected to another area of your body so don’t worry about anything going missing! However, “Sometimes a tampon can get lodged deep inside the vagina, like ifit’s accidentally left in place during intercourse. If this happens, your healthcare provider should be able to remove it easily with a speculum and forceps,”she says.
5. Some women ejaculate with orgasm.
“It definitely happens, and it’s not uncommon,” says Dr. Rankin. “It seems to bea learned skill and happens more commonly as women get older and learn howtheir bodies work.” So how does it happen? “There are glands around the urethra—the tube between the bladder and the outside world—that probably secrete fluid, particularly when the anterior wall of the vagina (a.k.a. the G Spot) is stimulated." Beverly Whipple, PhD, RN, a sexuality researcher and professor at Rutgers College of Nursing, describes this area as “‘the female prostate,’ a collection of glands, blood vessels, nerves and spongy tissue that, when stimulated,seem to create fluid in some women.”
6. Your vagina may change dramaticallyafter childbirth.
“Post-childbirth the vagina doesn’t so much look different as it feels different,” says Dr. Rankin. “As a gynecologist, I can almost always tell if a woman has delivered vaginally or not. I need a larger speculum for a woman who has had two kids than for a childless woman. But from the outside, you can’t tell unless a woman has torn duringchildbirth, in which caseshe may have a faint scar at the site of her tear or episiotomy.