Aging is a scary thing. The thought of getting decades older, seeing wrinkles appear and getting achy in your joints…It’s a lot to take in. It’s also an inevitability that we all have to face regardless of gender.
There are certain signs of aging that everyone talks about — wrinkles, tooth loss, greying hairs, just to name a few. But, when it comes to your privates, things start to get a lot more taboo. No one really talks about it, but every woman has wondered about it at least once.
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Much like with any other part of your body, your vagina can (and eventually will) show signs of aging. If you’ve ever wondered what to expect but were too embarrassed to ask, don’t worry. We did the research for you…
Expect some dryness.
As women age, their hormone levels will eventually start to drop. It’s a classic part of menopause that we all tend to avoid thinking about. With the hormone drop comes increased wrinkling on the face as well as other symptoms of menopause that are a little less noticeable to most.
One of the more common signs of aging is a decrease in vaginal fluid production. This can mean you’ll require more lube as you get older–even if you’re not looking to get busy.
The color of your vagina might also change.
A more surprising aspect of aging for many women is the way their vagina’s appearance may change. When you’re young, your labia and other lady bits tend to have a light pink hue to them, especially around the inner regions.
Aging often brings about a slight (to noticeable) change in color. Most commonly, it makes your pussy darken to a tannish, brownish hue.
Your elasticity might also go down.
Women in their prime have ladybits that are built for childbirth. This is why girls “snap back” down there after they have a kid, and why vaginas are meant to be stretchy. As menopause hits, a lot of the tissues down there can age.
Among doctors, the decrease in elasticity causes something called Vulvo-Vaginal Atrophy, or VVR. This means that you might not be able to take bigger guys the way you used to, and that you also might start seeing wrinkles around your labia. Freaky as it is, it’s totally normal.
Your uterus and vagina might also shrink.
If you were worried about losing your tightness down there, don’t panic too much. Though there’s a lot of talk about vaginas losing their ability to snap back, one of the other signs of VVR is a smaller vaginal opening.
This is a natural part of menopause. Since your lady parts aren’t expecting to hold babies anymore, your uterus and vagina may start to shrink as part of the elasticity loss issue. Sex-wise, this means that your vagina turns into a muscle that you either use or lose.
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Regular exercise and sexual activity can help keep your parts open for business longer. If you don’t work those muscles out, you should expect extra dryness and irritation as a result of it. Even if your libido drops, doing something down there on a regular basis is a must if you want to delay those problems.
If you’ve had a child, you also might see some incontinence issues.
Remember that viral video of a pregnant woman who pissed on the floor of a grocery result as a result of being pregnant? That’s a real thing that many women experience during pregnancy. Pregnancy weakens your pelvic floor muscles, which control both your vagina and your urinary tract.
A lot of women experience incontinence during and after childbirth. With a little Kegel work, you might be able to regain control of your bladder. However, that control could also be a temporary matter.
Aging makes all your muscles weaken, and that includes the muscles in your pelvic floor. That means that you might start to pee yourself more often as you get older. The more kids you have, the more likely it is that you’ll see this side effect happen as you get older.
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Though it does sound like doom and gloom, it’s important to recognize that you do have some power in preventing this from happening. Keep doing your Kegel exercises, make a point of working out, and keep yourself sexually active. The more you work those muscles, the less likely it is that you’ll have to wear diapers later on.
