MORE: 8 Reasons It Hurts During Sex-And How To Fix It For some women, pelvic floor exercises can help prevent incontinence down the road and keep sex sexy. "Some physical therapists argue we should all get a little bit of instruction after having a baby," she says, to help rehab your way back to optimal pelvic health. However, muscle and nerve damage can also occur due to the amount of force put on the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and labor, Faubion says. "It's still amazing to me even after all these years in practice," she says. Due to its elastic nature and rich blood supply, things tend to go back to normal shortly after giving birth. Luckily, "the vagina is a very forgiving place," Dweck says. Pregnancy hormones might also change the color of your vulva, so don't worry too much about a darker hue appearing, she adds. These engorged blood vessels are more common late in pregnancy and right after delivery, she says. For example, some women will find themselves with varicose veins down there-yes, really-due to the heavy weight of their uterus while pregnant, Dweck says. Obviously, pregnancy (and childbirth) has a major impact on the vulva and vagina, but some of the changes common to the miracle of life are a little more surprising. Of course, other women may decide during this decade that it's time to populate the planet. "We think some women may get more vulvar dryness with birth control pills because the pills are blocking male sex hormones called androgens, and the vulva has androgen receptors." It's unclear, she says, why some women on the pill feel these effects and others don't. Faubion, MD, director of the Office of Women's Health at Mayo Clinic and author of Mayo Clinic-The Menopause Solution. Another cause is complicated and a bit controversial, says Stephanie S. Women using birth control pills in this decade (or before, or after!) might find themselves with a little vaginal dryness, Dweck says, possibly because the pill stops ovulation, which might limit natural lubrication around that time each month. (The 21-day plan in Love Your Age is the life-changing reset every 40+ woman needs!) In general, though, here's what you can expect. Everyone's timing for milestones like pregnancy or menopause differ, even among sisters.
Of course, every woman-and every vagina-is different. But genitals undoubtedly change as time goes on, and knowing these changes are totally normal-and that the unpleasant ones can often be managed-at least offers a little comfort. After all, "your body doesn't know that the calendar is changing," says Alyssa Dweck, MD, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and a practicing gynecologist in Westchester County. It's not that your vagina is celebrating your exact birthday. If you're not the kind of woman who regularly examines herself south of the border, you might not realize that, just like the rest of your body, your vagina is getting older.
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