Frequent vulva, vagina, and clitoris questions

This is a question we get a lot. Sometime, we think our partner is an expert on the female or male body, even if they aren’t sexually experienced or don’t know a lot about it. Our guess is that your partner is not as knowledgeable about this as you think.

Remember, there are many reasons vaginas are smaller (or “tighter”) and they can include:

• “vaginismus”-when the area around the vagina closes off instead of relaxing and expanding during entry sex
• imperforate hymen—when someone has tissue covering some of all of the vagina, making it really tight and even painful.
• When women aren’t aroused or “in the mood” for sex, the vagina may not become lubricated and may not expand, making entry sex feel uncomfortable.

If you want to say something, you can always say, “I might be a bit tight, and so let’s take it slow.”

When you are aroused—or even if not—your vagina can naturally make lubrication/“get wet” to clean itself and provide moisture. A uterus or cervix is NOT necessary for this to happen. It’s kind of like a natural shower for the vagina, protecting it from infections and making sex of all kind more enjoyable.

Expert tip: if your V is dry or not lubricating, try using water-based lubricants like KY jelly or Astroglide to reduce the friction and help out.

Yes! You can definitely orgasm without a vagina or penetration. Remember, the mind is very important as is the clitoris, which is a bundle of nerve endings. In fact, many women find it easier to orgasm by stimulating their clitoris.

(Interesting Fact: Only 3 in every 10 women can orgasm via vaginal stimulation alone.)

Yes! You can absolutely orgasm without a uterus. It is not a necessary item for an orgasm. If you’re curious, learn about your body and what feels good to you. Remember that even with the perfect partner, orgasms can take a while to figure out. So, we recommend figuring out what kinds of touching you like and what feels best to you.

Your vagina cleans itself and sheds the outer layer of cells, causing the discharge you see. It is totally normal and natural. If the discharge looks like there is blood in it or some other bright color or if it appears chunky or extremely uncomfortable, definitely go see a doctor, as you might have some kind of infection. If you have any questions at all, ask your parents, your school nurse, or your doctor.

The short answer is yes, you can. Just because you may not have a cervix or a larger V doesn’t mean your body is immune to STIs like HPV (Human PapillomaVirus), HIV, Chlamydia, Herpes, Gonorrhea, and others. Because of this, it is important to know about ways to make sex more safe, especially if you are with a new partner or are not in a committed relationship.

This is why doctors still offer the HPV vaccine and suggest different types of contraception for safer sex, even if you don’t have to worry about pregnancy. Remember that oral sex is also a way to get STIs, so get tested and use condoms for safer sex.

Again, like all women, there is a risk of vaginal cancer, even if you don’t have a cervix. If you have a cervix, doctors will likely request Pap Smears. But if you don’t have a cervix, expert gynecologists have shared to us that the vagina’s cells might look a little different since there is no cervix and can make those tests ineffective at detecting harmful changes.

Regular check-ups and STI tests are important, however a Pap Smear will likely not be necessary since there is no cervix (although there are still certain risks.). Furthermore, if physicians try to use speculums (a plastic, duck-bill-like tool that doctors use to look into the vagina and see the cervix), those also might not work if you have a smaller vagina and might not be needed if you don’t have a cervix. Work with your physician to determine what’s best to keep up with your sexual health and never be afraid to ask for a smaller size of speculum or to turn down a pelvic exam if the time isn’t right for you.