Getting To Know Your Body
Your journey of self-exploration starts with the area just below your "bikini line" - the area of your V zone known as the "vulva".
For most of us, the portion we are most familiar with is the "mons veneris" or "Mound of Venus" - that fleshy pad of tissue lies just atop the opening of the vagina. Usually covered with pubic hair, it acts as a protective cover particularly during intercourse, helping to absorb impact and sheltering the more delicate organs and bones in and around your pelvis.
Not coincidentally, this section of your V zone is also among the most erotic areas of your body, highly sensitive to the touch. In fact, the public hair found here is so responsive that even a light touch can cause a sensual, electric-like sensation that travels right inside your vagina.
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Following the "Mound of Venus" downward, you will come to the labia major or outside vaginal lips. Also made of pads of fatty tissue and also covered with pubic hair, these "lips" are also extremely sensitive to both touch as well as changes in temperature.
Much like a man's genitals which shrink
in reponse to cold temperatures, so
too does a woman's labia ,
which also swells and becomes puffy
in warmer temperatures.
In fact, much like a man's genitals,which shrink and and wrinkle in response to cold temperatures, so too does a woman's labia.
It also swells and becomes somewhat puffy and softer in warmer temperatures - something you may have already noticed when you take a hot bath or when you sit in a hot tub or sauna. It also commonly occurs when you are sexually aroused - something you may have noticed as well. In fact, for some women, simply stroking the outside of the labia major or outside lips, can act as a powerful sexual stimulant.
Inside Out: More Body Talk !
Inside your labia major are a second set of "lips" known as the labia minor. Composed of a thinner tissue with an elastic quality, this area of your genitals helps protect the interious of your vagina.
In some women, the labia minor is hardly visable, while it others it can be large and protrouding. Both types- and almost anything inbetween - are considered normal.
Although most often we think of our intimate secretions and discharges as coming from the vagina, in fact most come from the walls that line the inside of the vaginal lips.
Indeed, both your inside and outside "lips" contain an abundance of sweat, scent and oil glands which not only work to continuously keep your vagina lubricated and healthy, but also provide that characteristic "musky" scent and the extra "wet" sensation that occur when you are sexually aroused.
Additionally, these secretions also help protect your vagina from acids and other irritating chemicals in urine as well as menstrual blood. And, they calso help block the passage of some bacteria into the reproductive tract - one reason why it's so important to maintain a healthy vaginal discharge.
