This Is What Happens To Your Vagina As You Age

I've been worried about the effects of aging since I was a teenager. I've used anti-wrinkle creams on my face and neck since I was 20 years old and doused myself in high SPFs for as long as I can remember.

Yet with all my constant worry, there's one part of my body I've never even thought about in regard to aging. Here I am, spreading on all the expensive serums that I hope will be my fountain of youth while totally ignoring what might be happening to the most important body part of all: my pussy.

Since we live in an age where every part of a woman's body is critiqued heavily for cosmetic purposes, I'd like to make a quick disclaimer: First of all, vaginas are dope. They are the source of so much pleasure. Not to mention that they squeeze a human life out of them.

Ladies, it doesn't matter what your vagina looks like. Your pussy is beautiful no matter how pink, wrinkly, not wrinkly, small, large or whatever it is. All vaginas are powerful, amazing things. Blessings be upon the lady flowers, bearers of life and orgasm. Amen. This article is meant to answer a health question, not to shame anyone.

THAT SAID, what does happen to a vagina as it gets older?

To help me answer the question, I recruited some professional help from someone who actually knows about these things: Dr. Carolyn DeLucia, gynecologist at VSPOT Medi Spa.

Let Auntie Gigi take you down yet another winding path of self-discovery.

Everything affects the vagina. YAY!

Vaginas are fantastic, incredible things, much like women themselves. And also like us ladies, they can be kind of moody and hard to please.

I know you feel me. Vaginas are low-key a lot of work. They are temperamental. We often find ourselves asking such questions as, Will I end up with a yeast infection if I wear a thong today? If I eat this pineapple, will cunnilingus be more enjoyable for my partner? Whether we're choosing what to eat, what materials to wear or what workout routine to adhere to, we have to keep our vaginal health in mind.

And this will happen from the time you hit puberty until the day you die. It has nothing to do with age. Yippie.

To keep your temperamental vagina healthy, do whatever you can to keep it clean and dry throughout the day. If you work out, shower right afterward and put on clean underwear. Sleep in the nude to let the air flow through. These little things help maintain a friendly eco-system down under.

But all of this is just normal vagina stuff that comes and goes. In fact, nothing will really f*ck with your vagina until you give birth to a seven-pound meat sack.

It's all fun and games until you push a baby out of your vagina.

Don't get me wrong, the miracle of life is totally incredible. Anyone who says women aren't stronger than men is high, because our bodies are literally the vessels of human life.

My point is that when you're in your 20s and 30s, not much really changes about your lovely vagina ... until childbirth. Dr. DeLucia says the appearance of your vagina's entrance will alter slightly: “Due to tears in the tissue, the introitus can be more open. These changes can multiply by number of children.”

It takes a baby to do a number on a vagina, but even then it essentially bounces back. The vagina and pelvic floor is a strong group of muscles. I've talked about this in the past when I wrote a piece on vaginal looseness: When something goes in (or comes out) of a vagina, it temporarily loosens and bounces back to its original shape, much like a rubber band.

Snap. Your pussy is resilient. Bow down to that sh*t.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, OH MY!

These three things are what affect your vagina most as you get older and your hormone levels change.

When you are preggers with a child, your vag can become engorged with pregnancy hormones and blood. (Doesn't that sound super delightful?) This also makes you more prone to yeast infections.

If you breastfeed, your vagina can become dry and painful due to fluctuating hormones. According to Today's Parent, you can experience discomfort during sexual intercourse for four to six weeks postpartum. Many women also experience urinary incontinence after a vaginal birth, although it usually clears up within a year and can be improved with Kegel exercises.

Then, finally, after getting through all of that fun sh*t, there is menopause. When we go through menopause, our estrogen levels run dry, which causes the vaginal tissue to get thinner, drier and to lose its elasticity. Intercourse may become uncomfortable, which in turn may lower your sex drive.

Also, when you lose all that estrogen, your vagina changes color.

That's right. Dr. DeLucia says that the color will drain to a pale pink. Damn, Daniel. That's some chameleon sh*t.

In the plus column, NO MORE PERIODS!

There is stuff you can do for vaginal dryness, better sex and more vaginal comfort overall.

Now, vaginal dryness is kind of the pits. A lot of women, menopausal or not, experience dryness. I have.

I say the cure is LUBE. Lots and lots of lube. I even gave a 15-minute talk about this, guys. Lube is THE BOMB. If you want some natural alternatives, try coconut oil or pure aloe vera. Side note: Unless you have a clean bill of health, do not use coconut oil with condoms. The oil can corrode the latex and lead to breakage. If you're using condoms, you need to stick to water-based lubricants. Kthanksbye.

Your doctor may also choose to treat an itchy, dry, or painful vagina with topical estrogen therapy, or you can buy a vaginal moisturizer for relieving dryness outside of sex. Yep, vaginas have their own moisturizer.

There are also other, more permanent things you can do, if you so wish. Procedures like VSPOT Medi Spa's Femilift or the O-shot can increase lubrication, as well as sensation and tightness. You shouldn't think of these procedures as cosmetic. They're actually intended to improve women's sex lives.

Your vagina's not going to wrinkle up like the face of a 90-year-old woman (and even if it does, so what?). We're focused on health and overall function here.

Also, the more you bang when you're going through menopause, the more you can help keep the vaginal tissue thick and moist. (Also, if you don't, your vagina may actually get shorter and narrower, leading to pain when you do resume intercourse.)

So there you go: Doing it a lot is good for your vagina. Exercise and proper nutrition can't hurt for overall health either. Remember: If you're good to your vagina as you age, your vagina will be good to you.

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