Never think of the vagina as a passive organ, but a very active one.
Vagina. The word vagina means sheath in Latin. The vagina is a very elastic, sheathlike canal that serves as a passage to and from the sheltered genital organs inside the body. At its upper end, the vagina forms a curving vault that encloses the tip of the cervix. The inner walls of the vagina consist of folds of tissue, which tend to lie in contact. The vagina, normally three to five inches long, can expand easily to receive the penis. Its greatest expansion, of course, occurs during childbirth. The folds contain many tiny glands, which continuously produce a cleansing film of moisture so that the vagina is self-cleansing. For this reason douches are seldom necessary.
Near the external opening of the vagina, there is a concentration of sensory nerves that play a significant role in sexual arousal when stimulated by touch. The opening is encircled by a constrictor muscle that responds to communications from the sensory nerves. This muscle can be tightened and relaxed at will.
This simple and painless procedure helps to save many lives annually, as it detects cervical cancer before it can be seen with the eye.
The first response to sexual stimulation in a woman is the lubrication of the vagina, which occurs within ten to thirty seconds in the younger woman and within one to three minutes in the older woman. Sexual excitement causes the walls of the upper vagina to be covered with beads of lubricant, like moisture on a cold glass. This prepares the vagina for an easier insertion of the penis.
Knowing the precise location of this natural lubrication can enhance sexual pleasure during the excitement phase. The knowledgeable husband will gently reach up into the vagina and bring lubricant down to the clitoral area for more enjoyable stimulation. Remember, if the wife is lying on her back, all the lubricant will remain in the upper vagina, unless it is brought down.
Adequate vaginal lubrication is absolutely essential for pleasure during intercourse. If it is not present, the husband will need to apply some form of artificial lubricant, obtainable at any drugstore or supermarket. Be sure to apply the lubricant to the head of the penis and to the outside of the vagina before penetration.
The nursing mother should be aware that her capacity to lubricate may be restricted because of low estrogen levels. This vaginal dryness usually persists as long as she continues to nurse. It may be relieved by her obstetrician’s prescription for an estrogen cream to apply up into the vagina. While the capacity for vaginal lubrication does continue throughout the female life cycle, low estrogen levels in the menopausal woman will almost always result in vaginal dryness, requiring the use of an artificial lubricant with every intercourse.
Never think of the vagina as a passive organ, but a very active one. When sexually stimulated, it increases in length and widens to twice its diameter. At the beginning of arousal, the upper vagina expands, and the uterus lifts up toward the abdomen. In the second phase, the vagina constricts to conform to the penis. After orgasm the uterus moves downward, so that the cervix rests in the pool of semen deposited in the upper vagina.
Posted in Understanding the Basics
To Ed Wheat Sr. and Gladys Gibson Wheat, whose commitment, devotion, warmth, generosity, and integrity stood for fifty years as a beautiful picture of genuine agape love.