How your vagina changes in your 30s (and what to do about it!)

Going Unda’: How your vagina changes in your 30s (and what to do about it!)

Sarah Khan

07 Mar 2018

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1 – Vaginal Dryness
Changes in your vaginal pigment (during and after pregnancy) can affect the skin area around your vulva too. Specifically, nursing your baby can cause significant vaginal dryness comparable to that of someone going through menopause. This is due to the dramatically lower level of oestrogen in the body, which causes vaginal dryness. Fret not, this will ebb away once you get your period back!
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2 – Things Get Stretchy
As you would expect, your vagina will experience a little more stretch in your 30s - both as a result of age and vaginal delivery. During labour, your vaginal muscles stretch, distend and also tear to allow your little one's head to pass through the tight space. And unfortunately, it never really recovers. Before you get alarmed, do note that majority of women don't notice or feel any changes down south post-childbirth. Also take comfort in the fact that the vagina is pretty tough stuff and heals itself - so don't worry!
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3 – Dark Pigmentation
The hormonal changes that take place as you grow older, and particularly with pregnancy, can cause your labia minora (the "inner lips that circle your clitoris and vaginal opening) to darken.
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4 – Lower Libido
While your libido might be in overdrive in your 20s, things may slow down in your 30s - particularly if you've given birth. After all, your estrogen levels (the hormone responsible for keeping your vagina lubricated) and other sex hormones are lower, which will naturally affect your sex drive. However, this varies from women to women - some women experience a lower libido in their 20s, while others are more sexually active in their 30s. If you're looking to remain active sexually, but find that you're a lot drier down there, keep that tube of lubricant handy!
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What Can You Do About It? Try Kegel Exercises!
What can you do about it? You might consider vaginal rejuvenation, gynaecologists do not typically endorse them. Instead, try something a lot more budget-friendly: Kegel exercises. Gynaecologists and doctors alike recommend that women in their 30s keep up with their Kegel exercises regularly to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. This helps with the normal aging changes that your vagina experiences.

Just like the rest of your body, your vagina also changes as you age. Here’s what you can expect down south once you hit your 30s!

If we were to be honest, how many of us truly knows what’s going on down there?

Yes – we’re talking about your vagina.

Much like the rest of our body, your vagina changes too as you age. Yet, it’s shocking to know how little women understand about their intimate area. Which is a shame, considering it should be held in equal importance to the other parts of your body, like heart health and mental health.

While the 20s are often regarded as your vagina’s “best years”, largely because this is the period where your hormones (i.e. estrogen – responsible for keeping your vagina lubricated, elastic and acidic) are at its highest, things are definitely changing down south once you hit your 30s.

The changes vary, depending on whether you’ve experienced childbirth in your 30s. However, in general, most women experience vaginal dryness and darker pigmentation around their labia during their 30s, among others (whether they’re given birth or not).

For more of what to expect from your vaginal changes in your swingin’ 30s (and what you can do to address these changes), find out in the gallery above!

Sarah Khan

Photos: Getty Images

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