Your Vagina On Sex

From the first sexy thought to that ultra-satisfying orgasm, here’s what’s happening below the belt.

Women’s Health and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) teamed up on an exclusive survey that revealed how much women know about their own anatomy. The answer, sadly: Not a whole lot. To help you better understand your nether regions, we created an all-inclusive guide to your private parts in our November 2014 issue. This article is part of that package.

When something sexy piques a man’s interest, he gets a boner. What happens to you is less outwardly obvious but just as stimulating…

The second your brain senses some potential action, your blood vessels expand and direct extra flow south. The increased circulation spurs vaginal secretions—natural lube made up of proteins and amino acids—and a plumping of the vulva. Thousands of nerve endings in the vagina’s most sensitive areas light up.

Tissues in your clitoris swell and stiffen. Yes, we’re talking mini hard-on. If you’re, like, totally turned on, your clit can triple in size. (It takes a while post-nooky for it to shrink back down, though; during this interim, it can be difficult for some women to urinate.)

Your cervix softens and, if it or a major surrounding nerve is stroked by a penis or toy during sex, it may light up the same pleasure areas in your brain that are activated by foreplay.

In about 10 percent of women, pelvic floor muscle contractions during orgasm can propel a few drops of clear fluid out of the urethra. Don’t sweat it: “Female ejaculation” is not pee; it’s made up of natural sugars and prostatic acid phosphatase, a chemical also found in semen. Odds are, your partner thinks it’s superhot.