Vagina myths

There are many popular misconceptions (myths) about the vagina.

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G spot

The "G spot" is, supposedly, an erogenous zone of particular sensitivity on the anterior wall of the vagina.

Does it exist?

There is substantial controversy in published literature about its possible location and also its very existence. Apparently, there is no cluster of nerve endings in any part of the vagina, and no large sample studies have been done to determine the existence or location of the G spot[note 1] the most extensive study so far has come up negative.[1]

Most of the evidence for it seems to be anecdotal at best, often regurgitated as plain fact by TV "sexperts".

A host of toys of bizarre shape have been made with the intention of "stimulating" the G spot, though most look like they'd do better for picking something out of a giant's teeth.

Whether or not the G spot exists - and studies on this sort of thing are, to say the least, difficult to conduct — a highly sensitive region in the area claimed for the G spot, the urethral sponge,File:Wikipedia's W.svg does exist, with varying sensitivity from woman to woman. This may be the explanation for why some women can and some women cannot seem to find one, and might be down to luck and genetics, rather than diet, poor performance on behalf of their partner, or any other woo explanation.

In short, a "G-spot" may be nothing more than the sexual equivalent of having a particularly ticklish spot in one place, but not another.

In males

It is claimed that males have a G-spot as well — in their rectum. This is generally reckoned to be the base of the prostate gland. This raises interesting questions in religious arguments that claim that sodomy is evil and that the human body is intelligently designed by a God who hates gay men.

Steamed vaggies
See the main article on this topic: Vaginal steaming

Vaginal steaming has recently become more popular, despite having no scientific basis, a plethora of potential bad effects, and most of the proposed benefits being based on misinterpretations of how the vagina, herbs, and steam work.

Sex permanently stretches the vagina

One particularly prevailing misconception is that the vagina will become "beat up," worn out,[2] or loose[3] from sex, especially rough sex, or sex with well-hung guys. In particular, promiscuous single women are said to develop loose, worn-out vaginas, even though women in relationships have sex far more regularly and thus would be more at risk of such a syndrome if it existed.[4] Actually, vaginas can accommodate even the stretching needed for childbirth and return back to their original state after six months. This misconception may be tied in with slut shaming, as exemplified by a viral 2016 tweet by Jennifer Mayers that compared singer Taylor Swift's vagina to a ham sandwich.[dead link]

In 2018, the FDA warned seven companies about the danger of misusing approved gynecological devices for alleged rejuvenation treatment.[5] In some cases, the devices caused "vaginal burns, scarring, pain during sexual intercourse, and recurring/chronic pain" and other damage when used for unapproved treatments.[6]

Notes
  1. In this case, "large" would be more than 20 women.
gollark: I'm impressed that they get 34/8 out of it.
gollark: This being the UK, the only ISP here that I'm aware of is British Telecom, who offer, at best (for here), "fibre" which is just a fibre connection to some green box somewhere, then VDSL over ancient copper cables.
gollark: Wow, someone has a *worse* internet connection than me!
gollark: E L E C T R O M A G N E T I S M, or the placebo effect.
gollark: The one thing I don't seem to get is push notifications, because they all run through Google Cloud Messaging or something. Also a working Play Store, but you can just install the official one on top of microG.

References
  1. The Independent: "Call off the search teams — the G-spot is a myth"
  2. "First things first: the vagina is a muscle. It's not some flippety-floppedy passive tube, nor is it tissue like your skin." Scarleteen, sex ed for the real world
  3. "The vagina contracts and expands every time you have sex with your partner or masturbate. With repeated contractions and expansions, the vaginal walls would tend to slacken and lose their elasticity. Again, too much force applied during penetration could potentially damage the vaginal opening and walls, causing them to lose their grip and elasticity." Home remedies for tightening a vagina, LadyCare health
  4. http://www.the1585.com/concerningvaginas.html
  5. FDA warns companies about 'deceptive' vaginal rejuvenation claims: The agency says it has seen complaints about burns and other damage from the unapproved procedures. by Maggie Fox (Jul.30.2018 / 10:53 AM ET) NBC News.
  6. FDA Warns Against Use of Energy-Based Devices to Perform Vaginal 'Rejuvenation' or Vaginal Cosmetic Procedures: FDA Safety Communication (July 30, 2018) U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
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