Vulva or Vagina? Let’s Understand The Difference

Spread the love

All of us fondly remember the time when we freshly learned about human anatomy at school or at home. Rightly recognizing the hands, legs, forehead, ears, mouth, tongue, feet, etc. made us nothing short of smart kids. But seldom we were taught about our sexual parts like the Vagina and Vulva. Shame Shame, down there, pee place became a byword for our genitals.

It’s about time to shed the shame and hold an absolute conversation about female genitalia, learn the difference, and correct usage. Starting with the basics – Do you know the difference between Vulva and Vagina? You might be using the latter word more often to address your genitalia as a whole. Guess What – Vulva and Vagina are two different parts of your genitalia’s anatomy.

To what part exactly should I call vulva?

Hey! That is an easy one to learn about. The vulva is actually the outer part of your genitalia. It includes the pubic mound, the labia majora and minora, the pleasure factory, Clitoris, The urethral opening, and the vaginal opening.

Let’s get to the details

Pubic Mound

Pubic Mound or mons pubis is an upside-down triangle-shaped mound. It is made up of fatty tissues that extend from the top of the pubic hairline to the clitoris. An area that starts growing hair patches right from puberty.

Labia Majora

Labia Majora is the two folds that extend from the pubic mound and merges with the perineum skin. Commonly known as the outer lips of the vagina these can be pink, brown or red in color.

Labia Minora

Labia minora is the inside part of the vagina that begins from the clitoris and ends at the vaginal opening. It has varying lengths and colors.

Clitoris

The pea-shaped erogenous organ capable of sexual stimulation. It is situated at the top of the vagina above the urethra. A bundle of nerves that expands the farthest and can vary in size.

Urethral opening

Commonly called the pee hole. It is situated beneath the clitoris from where the urine comes out.

Vaginal opening

Situated between labia majora and minora and below the clitoris and urethra.

Is there some perfect shape of the vulva?

If you believe there is a perfect shape for the vulva then thanks to porn and pop culture for distorting the reality. Indeed there is no perfect shape of the vulva. Every vulva is of different shape, color, and size. Your vulva of whatever shape, size, and the color is perfectly normal.

What is the Vagina then?

The Vagina is an elastic muscular canal that extends from the vulva to the cervix. It is a passage where the lining of the uterus is shed during menstruation and the baby descends during birth.

What does my Vagina do?

Your vagina is an amazing multi-tasker. It does not create a passage for period blood to flow out of the body and helps in childbirth but also enables sexual pleasure.

Pleasure: The Vaginal walls are extremely sensitive and enable sexual pleasure with the help of a penis, finger or a sex toy.

Menstruation: The period blood along with other menstrual waste flushes out of the body through the vaginal canal. During the periods we insert tampons and menstrual cups inside the vagina to prevent leakage.

Pregnancy: During sex if your partner ejaculates the sperms swim through the vaginal canal and uterus to reach the fallopian tubes and fertilize the eggs.

Childbirth: The baby descends into the Vagina from the uterus to finally make it out of the body through the vaginal opening.

How do I use these terms correctly?

While talking about inserting something inside of the vagina like a penis, sex toy, tampon or menstrual cup make sure to use the term vagina while the outer parts of your genitalia visible through naked eyes will be called the vulva.

How do I keep my vulva and vagina clean?

Your Vagina is a self-cleaning organ that do not need any perfumed soap or feminine hygiene product to clean themselves. Your vagina is as self-reliant as you are. It maintains a good pH balance that keeps the bacteria at bay. The vagina is lined with a mucous membrane. The mucus that it produces during the menstrual cycle protects it against any harmful bacteria and infection.

Whereas the vulva has another cleaning mechanism. The hair patch on the pubic mound prevents dirt and pathogens from entering the genitals Thus, need not bother shaving your vulva every now and then. However, you can clean it with warm water and mild soap at times.

Remember, taking care of your genitals and talking about it by using explicit terms such as vagina, vulva, etc helps you build a healthy relationship with your body and smash the taboo around sexual health.

To read more such article, Click

Highlights

People with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) should preferably stay away from alcohol.

Alcohol tends to worsen PCOS symptoms.

Alcohol doesn’t mix well with some salts at all. Be careful! People with PCOS are often insulin resistant.

Regular exercise, meditation can help you significantly improve your health.

Spread the love

If you have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), then you may have been advised to stick to a diet plan and preferably stay away from alcohol. If you have a regular habit of drinking, then it is quite necessary to progressively limit your alcohol consumption. But there are ways to manage your habit without completely derailing your weight loss plan. However, this should not encourage you to rewind to your prior habits and become a regular drinker.

Often it becomes distressing to hear a complete change in lifestyle and diet plan that needs to be made on your doctor’s advice. Progressively, you’ll be asked to limit or completely avoid alcohol consumption by your doctor. That surely indicates that you’ll have to be careful when out for parties as consumption of alcohol can adversely affect your condition.

How alcohol consumption can affect you?

An individual with PCOS must be aware of the following factors related to alcohol consumption:

Potential of increasing blood sugar levels

PCOS is closely linked to insulin resistance, which alters the hormonal balance resulting in worsening your PCOS symptoms. And some alcoholic beverages have the potential to increase insulin levels.

Hormonal Imbalance

Studies show that alcohol consumption interferes with hormone action, leading to its imbalance and increasing the risk of your PCOS symptoms.

Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Abnormal hormonal patterns increase cardiovascular diseases affecting vascular smooth muscle cells. Consuming alcohol regularly, or even occasionally can be risky for women suffering from PCOS.

Increases the Risk of Liver Diseases

Alcohol and liver diseases are well linked to each other. Women with PCOS are at higher risk of liver diseases if they drink heavily or even moderately due to insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism (increased level of male hormone).

Tips for alcohol consumption when you have PCOS

Don’t consume alcohol on an empty stomach

When your stomach is empty, never take a shot packed with ignorance. Preferably eat something with an appropriate amount like protein or fat, as it will act as a buffer for the alcohol. These nutrients are digested slowly and will prevent rapid absorption of alcohol.

Limit and try to avoid alcohol consumption

Set your limits and strictly follow them. Beverages with a substantial amount of alcohol also have the lowest nutritional value, or none at all. Therefore, it’s better to avoid consumption.

Abstain from cocktails or blended drinks.

While these look pleasurable, these drinks contain a high amount of calories and sugar. Instead of risking your health, make a better choice.

Ask for just a splash of juice and save on your calories in abundance. These tiny steps taken regularly can have a long-lasting impact on your health. Avoid things that are unnecessarily dangerous to your health.

PCOS Medications and Alcohol Consumption

If you have PCOS, there are chances you might be on medications. Alcohol doesn’t mix well with some salts at all. So, you need to be very careful with it. People with PCOS are often insulin resistant. People have reportedly suffered from type 2 diabetes. If you are a binge drinker who frequently consumes alcoholic drinks, there are high chances that it will disrupt the sugar balance of your body.

Some medications used to treat PCOS have reported to cause a condition called lactic acidosis in which the amount of lactic acid in your bloodstream increases and you can’t get rid of lactic acid if you are on a heavy amount of alcohol intake. Though it is not very common, it can be serious. Lactic acid buildup and alcohol cause pressure on kidneys, lungs and blood vessels, which may lead to a severe setback.

There have been studies where PCOS is also linked with depression and anxiety, however, this concept is not well researched and understood. If you have PCOS, then moderating or avoiding drinking completely would be a better option.

Include healthy fruits and vegetables in your diet plan. Regular exercise, meditation, serving of whole-wheat, raw veggies and yoga can help you reduce the risks associated with PCOS and will significantly improve your health. Regular exercise is a great way to improve your health.

This text is provided for information purposes only and is not aimed to be an alternative for professional medical advice. Always take the advice of a health specialist if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.

For more health and lifestyle-related content click here .