I Wish You Knew This About VAGINAS

[00:00:00]Just like the penis expands during arousal, the vagina gets longer and wider with arousal, too. The most important sex organ we have is actually our brain. Your body is actively creating more space in preparation for penetration. A woman's body and brain don't always agree. But how the heck does the vagina grow? How does the body do that? Estrogen isn't even the only hormone involved.

[00:00:30]What's up, YouTube? It is your girl, Dr. Fenomilhouse, your favorite urologist, Dr. Down Below, co-founder, co-CEO of Down There Urology in Chicago. [music] And this is a follow-up to my last video on vaginal size. And this talks about how vaginas grow. Yes, just like the penis expands [music] during arousal, the vagina gets longer and wider with arousal, too. An aroused vagina is wider. An aroused vagina [music] is deeper. So, an aroused vagina is looser, okay? So, vaginas are by far more accommodating to penetration when they are expanded compared [music] to their baseline non-aroused state. But how the heck does the vagina [music] grow? How does the body do that? Most people know that erections depend on increased blood flow. Far [music] fewer people realize that vaginal expansion depends on increased blood flow, [music] too.

[00:01:31]There are actually two versions of the same neurovascular phenomenon. The body is preparing for sexual [music] activity. The most important sex organ we have is actually [music] our brain.

[00:01:44]Arousal starts in the brain with a stimulus that then leads to a cascade of neurologic events result in more blood getting [music] to the genitals. Within seconds of being aroused mentally, signals [music] travel from the brain through the nervous system to your genitals, and blood [music] flow rapidly increases in the vagina, and there are muscles within the vaginal wall that begin to relax, allowing [music] for them to expand wider and longer. The cervix actually lifts upward away from the vaginal opening, and that that increases depth, making the vagina longer. At the same time, the walls of a of the vagina unfold. Okay, so they're like really folded, and then they start to unfold, and that makes the vagina wider. That unfolding, that expansion happens thanks to structures called vaginal rugae. Vaginal rugae, think of them as accordion folds built into the vaginal walls, and these folds allow the vagina to stretch during penetration.

[00:03:00]The upper two thirds of the vagina lengthens and expands. [music] Um and sex researchers have sometime referred to this process [music] as vaginal tenting. Tenting. The vaginal walls become more elastic and accommodating.

[00:03:16]In other words, your body is actively [music] creating more space in preparation for penetration. So, this is why a vagina during arousal [music] can feel dramatically different from a vagina that is not aroused at rest. Now, here's the part that surprises a lot of >> [music] >> people. A woman's body and brain don't always agree. Same with men, okay? So, [music] individuals' bodies and brains don't always agree. You can have increased vaginal blood flow, [music] lubrication, and all the physical signs of arousal, but not be mentally turned on. [music] The opposite can happen, too. You can feel a lot of desire, attraction, excitement, [music] but your body doesn't respond the way that your brain is responding. And that's because sexual arousal isn't controlled by a single switch.

[00:04:08]It's a complex conversation [music] that can include hormones, blood vessels, nerves, [music] the brain, emotions, stress, sleep, and a lot of other factors that um influence our health. I've said many times before, estrogen is incredibly important. It helps keep the vaginal tissue healthy, well lubricated, and richly [music] supplied with blood flow. That's when That's why when estrogen drops [music] during menopause, uh during breastfeeding, um [music] or with certain medications, many women may notice dryness and [music] discomfort with sexual activity and arousal just not feeling the way it used to. [music] Now, low estrogen doesn't mean your body has completely lost its ability to respond sexually.

[00:05:04]When a woman becomes aroused, blood flow increases [music] to the vaginal tissues, the vagina expands, lubrication is produced, and even in lower estrogen states, the vagina can still increase blood flow and [music] respond to sexual stimulation. It just may not feel [music] the same, or it may take longer.

[00:05:25]And estrogen isn't even the only hormone involved. Testosterone and other androgens [music] also play an important role in sexual response and sexual function, in healthy tissues, and [music] blood flow. So, there you have it. That is how the vagina grows during [music] sexual arousal.

[00:05:49]Let me know your thoughts. Drop a comment. Make sure you like this video.

[00:05:52]Make sure you tell a friend to tell a friend. [music] But above all, make sure you subscribe so you join me for all things down [music] there, right here. And if you want your favorite urologist to become your urologist, hit that first link below. Join me in my practice, Down There Urology, in person [music] and virtual visits available. Until next time, have a good [music] one. Goodbye.