Changes in your Vagina Part I

Like all other organs and tissues in our body, the vagina goes through various changes throughout our lives that vary according to age, heredity, pregnancies, the number of deliveries, the weight of the babies, whether we suffer or not constipation, overweight and finally with the arrival of menopause.

Along these lines we will show you what these changes are and we will tell you how to prevent them and even how to treat them in case they cause discomfort.

There are three most important periods in a woman's life that we must talk about: childhood until the period prior to development, the beginning of sexual life and the reproductive stage and finally what “The Golden Age” means for us. – Menopause and postmenopause -.

Childhood and predevelopment

To begin with, before development, the vagina has few folds, it produces a liquid that we colloquially call discharge, but not in significant quantities as after development. In terms of length, it is not as long as in adulthood, even after development it does not reach the size of a mature woman.

Just before development, girls begin to produce more mucus and vaginal discharge, the vagina lengthens a little more, more folds or roughness appear, and when the development known as "Menarche" arrives, menstruation or bleeding begins.

At this stage there are few external factors that influence changes or alterations in the vaginal canal.

Beginning of sexual life and reproductive stage

When sexual life begins, during the first encounters, due to the size of the vaginal entrance and the presence of that little membrane or tissue that partially covers the orifice, called HYMEN, intercourse can be slightly painful and even, not always. , present bleeding during or after them.

Little by little, if there is a good stimulation and sexual response, in addition to adequate interaction with the partner, the entrance hole increases slightly and due to the good elasticity of the vagina, intercourse is no longer painful and becomes more much more pleasant.

During this stage there are various factors that can lead to changes in the vaginal canal, which I will talk about a little below:

1. Pregnancy: Imagine! For 9 months a woman has a uterus within her pelvic cavity with a weight that can reach 6 to 8 kilos (if we count baby, placenta, liquid). All that pressure, with the woman standing, is transmitted to the pelvic floor and the vaginal canal. What happens?:
   1. If the woman has a good heredity, with good quality collagen in all her tissues, if she exercises regularly and has an active pelvic floor (pelvic muscles) and cares about exercising them during and after pregnancy, probably the changes in the vaginal canal are not very important and do not have an impact on the quality of your life or sexual response.
   2. Now, what happens if the woman has a poor quality of collagen (genetically she is predisposed to flaccidity, stretch marks), she does not exercise and does not have active pelvic muscles?: The vaginal canal can give in to that pressure, stretch and become lax (flaccid), in some cases enough to be perceived by the woman and even by her partner, this may result in a decrease in sexual pleasure due to the loss of sufficient friction between the penis and the vagina.
2. Vaginal delivery: situation very similar to the previous one.
   1. Women with firm tissues, with good elasticity, after a delivery where it increases more than 100 times its normal size, the vagina can return over time and the recovery of the muscles to its almost original state, keeping its response and sexual function intact. .
   2. If there is poor elasticity or if there is a complication such as a tear of the vaginal canal, to return to its "almost" original state after childbirth, it may require corrective treatments, sometimes surgeries and other times only office treatments (rehabilitation of pelvic floor and vaginal tightening with laser, radiofrequency or ultrasound), complemented with exercises and treatments at home to improve results.
3. Obesity, constipation, chronic cough: these are important factors that increase the pressure inside the abdomen and exert a weight that is not equal to but similar to that of pregnancy, which if they become chronic over time, and other age changes are associated, can lead to also to an increase in flaccidity or laxity of the vaginal canal, with all the consequences that we explained above, even when it is very severe, the laxity may become a vaginal prolapse, often requiring surgical correction in this case.
4. SMOKING :   YEAH! Smoking is a habit that negatively influences many aspects of life, and the bad news for smokers is that it also affects the vagina, because the female smoker has poor collagen production and the collagen it produces is of very POOR QUALITY, therefore Therefore, you are more susceptible to flaccidity or laxity in the vagina and in all parts of your body. Isn't that a good enough reason to quit smoking?

The GOLDEN Age, Menopause and Post Menopause

Because this is one of the most important stages in a woman's life, which generates a lot of anguish in some as we approach her arrival, we will continue to delve into this important and interesting topic for all of us in our next articles. So stay tuned! We already anticipate that menopause can stop being a trauma and become a wonderful period, so here in your MAGAZINE ZENZUAL we will take you by the hand so you can discover how to achieve it and you can feel beautiful and healthy even in the most intimate.