“vaginas are meant to stretch and are not possible to have a loose vagina. Your vagina can become slightly looser with age, but it won’t be loose.”

There are a lot of myths about the vagina. vaginas can lose their elasticity and become loose forever, for example, according to some people. That is not true.

Your vagina is flexible. It can accommodate things like a penis or sex toy, or a baby. It will take a while for your vagina to come back to its previous shape.

As you age or have children, your vagina may become slightly tighter, but the muscles still expand and contract like a rubber band.

There is a myth about a tight vagina, tips to strengthen your Pelvic floor, and more.

“There is no such thing as a vagina that is loose. Your vagina will change over time, but it won’t lose its stretch permanently.”

The myth of a loose vagina has been used to shame people for their sex lives. A person who has a lot of sex with their partner is not used to being called a loose vagina. It is used to describe a person who has had sex with more than one partner.

“It doesn’t matter who you have sex with or how often. Penetration won’t cause your vagina to stretch out permanently.”

It’s important to know that a “tight” vagina may be a sign of an underlying concern, especially if you’re experiencing discomfort during penetration.

When you are aroused, your vaginal muscles relax. Your vagina will not relax, self-lubricate, or stretch if you are not turned on, interested, or prepared for intercourse.

Tight vaginal muscles, then, could make a sexual encounter painful or impossible to complete. Extreme vaginal tightness could also be a sign of vaginismus. This is a treatable physical disorder.

Vaginismus is pain that happens before or during penetration. This could mean sexual intercourse, using a tampon, or inserting a speculum during a pelvic exam.

If this sounds familiar, make an appointment with your OB-GYN. They can assess your symptoms and help make a diagnosis. For vaginismus, your doctor may recommend Kegels and other pelvic floor exercises, vaginal dilator therapy, or Botox injections to relax the muscles.

Only two things can affect your vagina’s elasticity: age and childbirth. Frequent sex — or lack thereof — won’t cause your vagina to lose its stretch.

Over time, childbirth and age could cause a slight, natural loosen up of your vagina. Women who have had more than one vaginal birth are more likely to have weakened vaginal muscles. Regardless of whether you have had children or not, aging can cause your vagina to stretch.

Age

You may begin to see a change in your vagina’s elasticity starting in your 40s. That’s because your estrogen levels will begin to drop as you enter the perimenopausal stage.

A loss of estrogen means your vaginal tissue will become:

  • thinner.
  • It was dry.
  • Less acidic.
  • Less flexible.

These changes may become more noticeable once you reach full menopause.

Childbirth

It is normal for your vagina to change after a vaginal delivery. Your vaginal muscles are stretched in order to allow your baby to pass through the birth canal and out of your vagina.

Your vagina may feel a little tighter after your baby is born. That is normal. Your vagina should start to come back to its original shape a few days after you give birth.

If you have had multiple births, your vaginal muscles are more likely to lose elasticity. There are exercises to strengthen vaginal floor muscles if you are uncomfortable with it.

Pelvic exercises are a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are part of your core and help support your:

  • bladder
  • The rectum.
  • The small intestine is small.
  • The uterus.

When your pelvic floor muscles weaken from age or childbirth, you may:

  • Someone accidentally leak urine or wind.
  • The need to pee is something that you feel.
  • Have pain in your uterus.
  • It is possible to experience pain during sex.

Although pelvic floor exercises can help treat mild urinary incontinence, they aren’t as beneficial for women who experience severe urinary leakage. Your doctor can help you develop an appropriate treatment plan that suits your needs.

Interested in improving your floor? You can try some of the exercises here.

Kegel exercises

First, you need to identify your pelvic floor muscles. To do so, stop midstream while you’re peeing. If you succeed, you figured out the right muscles.

Follow these steps once you do.

  1. Pick a position for your exercise. People prefer lying on their back.
  2. Tighten your muscles. Relax for another 5 seconds after the contraction is held.
  3. This step should be repeated at least 5 times.

As you build strength, increase to 10 seconds. Try not to tighten your thighs, abs, or butt during Kegels. Just focus on your pelvic floor.

Pelvic tilt exercises

The exercise is used to strengthen vaginal muscles.

  1. Stand with shoulders and butt. Keep knees soft.
  2. Pull the bellybutton towards your spine. Your back should flatten when you do this.
  3. Release your bellybutton after 4 seconds.
  4. It should be done several times a day.

Vaginal cones

You can strengthen your muscles by using a vaginal cone. This is a weighted object that you put in your vagina.

To do this

  1. The lightest cone is placed into the vagina.
  2. You should squeeze your muscles. Hold it in place for 15 minutes twice a day.
  3. As you get more successful in holding the cone in place, you should increase the weight of the cone.

Vaginal cones may be helpful with urinary incontinence after childbirth. However, more research is needed.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)

NMES can help strengthen your vaginal muscles by sending an electric current through your pelvic floor using a probe. The electrical stimulation will cause your pelvic floor muscles to contract and relax.

You can either use a home unit or have your doctor do it.

“A vagina is not a myth. Your vaginal muscles won’t stretch out permanently, even if you lose some elasticity naturally, because age and childbirth can cause your vagina to lose some elasticity. Your vagina will snap back to its original form in a few years.”

If you are concerned about vaginal changes, you should reach out to your doctor. They can help you with your concerns and advise you on the next steps.