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YES: vaginas can sag, too.
By Aly Walansky — Written on Aug 11, 2016
We're all very aware of the need to keep our butt tight and our boobs perky. We use lotions and potions to stay wrinkle free. But how many of us are paying attention to staying fit "down there"? Too often, the vagina gets left out of the beauty game.
Vaginal muscles are just like the muscles in the rest of the body: Without use, we lose their function.
"Even if you are not actively sexual with someone else, creating a regular regimen of self-pleasure and using toys or pelvic floor exercisers help maintain tone and response. Also it's really important to make sure that you pay attention to vaginal odor so that you maintain proper pH balance for optimal vaginal health," says sex expert Wendy Strgar.
The vagina is intrinsic to our womanhood, and keeping it young and beautiful is a big part of the game. But you don't need to get surgery or try creepy lasers to keep it looking its best.
Maintain your confidence, and look and feel your best in many of the same ways you do with the other parts of your bodies. Pay attention to staying in shape, eating right, and like any other muscle, work it out! Hey, this workout is way more fun than those planks we do in Pilates, am I right?
Here are six ways to prevent your vagina from sagging.
1. Stay fit.
Being overweight is associated with more than just increased risks of diabetes and high blood pressure. "When you’re overweight, you have more skin. More skin and fat means more sweating, and being wet 'down there' means increased risk of vaginitis," says OB/GYN and women's health expert Dr. Angela.
Yeast anyone? When you itch, you scratch, and your skin gets irritated. Not to mention the fact that when you decide to lose any unwanted weight that you may have gained, losing fat oft times leads to sagging skin and saggy vajay-jay.
"Your vagina is in one of the most dependent portions of your body, i.e., when you stand up, where is your vagina? Exactly! So if you are overweight, increased risk of your vagina falling out is a risk factor," says Dr. Angela.
2. Avoid jobs and activities that involve heavy lifting.
"Avoid jobs that involve repetitive heavy lifting, pushing or pulling," says Dr. Angela. All that repetitive increase in intra-abdominal pressure affects your vagina, causing eventual laxity.
3. Do your Kegels religiously.
And no excuses about not having time for them! Of course you do.
"I commonly do mine while sitting at the desk or waiting for the traffic light to turn green. If you aren't sure how to do them, the next time you urinate, stop your urine mid-stream. That's the contraction you want! If you wanna jazz it up a bit, the next time you're having sex, try doing them while he/she is inside of you," says Dr. Angela.
4. Avoid smoking.
"When was smoking ever a good thing? It lends itself to weakening tissue strength," says Dr. Angela.
5. Keep having sex.
"Part of keeping vaginas healthy, moist and supple has to do with keeping the tissue healthy. The increased blood flow/engorgement that occurs during sex keeps the vagina rejuvenated, elastic, accommodating. Once menopause sets in, the vagina has a much more difficult time maintaining the aforementioned," says Dr. Angela.
6. Don't overdo it with the vagina cleansers.
"My favorite cleansers for the vagina are Dove or Ivory. You don't need all of those over priced lotions, potions, elixirs and moisturizers. Vaginas are supposed to smell like vaginas. Most of the advertised over-the-counter stuff is drying and irritating," says Dr. Angela.