Okay real talk—what’s the actual difference between the vulva and the vagina, and why did no one teach us this clearly?

Your vulva is everything you can see on the outside: pubic mound, outer lips (labia majora), inner lips (labia minora), clitoris, urethra opening (where pee comes out), and vaginal opening. Your vagina is the internal muscular tunnel that connects that opening to your cervix and uterus. Vulva = external. Vagina = internal.

Most of us were taught to call the whole thing a vagina because sex ed was written by people more focused on penetration, pregnancy, and controlling women’s bodies than on our actual anatomy or pleasure. When the only body part that “matters” in the story is the baby-making tunnel, everything else gets erased. That confusion affects how we think about sex, pain, pleasure, periods—basically, all of it.

If you want to rant, ask questions, or just map out what’s going on down there, you can always chat with Gush and talk through your cycle, symptoms, or whatever your body’s been yelling about.

What is the difference between the vulva and the vagina?

The vulva: everything you can actually see

Let’s name the damn parts:

• Mons pubis – the soft, fatty mound with pubic hair.
• Labia majora – the outer “lips,” usually with hair.
• Labia minora – the inner lips, often thinner, can be small, large, flat, ruffly, tucked in, or hanging out. All normal.
• Clitoris – tiny visible tip at the top (the glans), hood over it, with a huge internal structure you can’t see.
• Urethra opening – below the clit, where pee comes out.
• Vaginal opening – the entrance to the internal canal.
• Perineum – the strip of skin between vaginal opening and anus.

All of this is the vulva. It’s loaded with nerve endings, blood vessels, and glands that respond to hormones, arousal, and your menstrual cycle.

The vagina: the internal muscular tunnel

The vagina is:

• A flexible, muscular canal ~7–10 cm at rest (it stretches a lot).
• Lined with rugae (folds) that let it expand.
• Connecting the vaginal opening to the cervix, which is the doorway to your uterus.

During your menstrual cycle, hormones change what’s happening inside the vagina:

• Menstrual phase (bleeding) – The uterine lining sheds. Blood and tissue exit through the cervix and vagina. Estrogen and progesterone are low; vaginal tissue can feel drier or more sensitive.
• Follicular phase (post-period, before ovulation) – Estrogen rises. The vaginal lining thickens, natural lubrication increases, discharge becomes creamy or lotion-like.
• Ovulation – Estrogen peaks, a spike of LH triggers ovulation. Discharge turns stretchy, clear, “egg white” to help sperm travel. Many people feel wetter and more easily aroused.
• Luteal phase (after ovulation) – Progesterone dominates. Discharge may become thicker or tackier. Some feel dryness, irritation, or soreness, especially right before their next period.

That shifting environment is normal—and it’s part of why your vagina doesn’t feel the same every week.

Why everyone calls it a vagina (spoiler: patriarchy)

The word “vagina” has been used as a lazy all-purpose label for the whole region because:

• Medicine was historically written by and for men, obsessed with pregnancy and penetration.
• Porn and mainstream media reduce female anatomy to “hole for sex” instead of a complex pleasure system.
• Sex ed is often abstinence-focused, terrified of female pleasure, and sanitized to death.

Result:

• The most sensitive parts (vulva + clitoris) get erased.
• Painful sex gets normalized because “the vagina is just tight” instead of “maybe the vulva or pelvic floor needs attention.”
• People ask, “Is my vagina ugly?” when they actually mean their labia or vulva.

This is not an accident. If you don’t know your anatomy, it’s easier for systems, partners, and even doctors to ignore you.

How this mix-up screws with sex, care, and periods

Calling everything a vagina leads to:

• Bad sex: Focus on penetration only, zero attention to the vulva or clitoris. No wonder so many women don’t orgasm from PIV alone.
• Dismissed pain: Burning at the entrance, labia tearing, clitoral pain—all get reduced to “your vagina is fine.”
• Confusion about discharge or smells: Most changes you notice actually involve the vaginal canal and cervical mucus, but irritation can show up on the vulva.
• Shame around normal labia: People think the “perfect vagina” is some airbrushed, labia-less Barbie crotch.

Repeat after me: Your vulva is not dirty. Your vagina is not a black hole. Both deserve respect, hygiene, and pleasure.

If your experience or symptoms don’t neatly match any of this, that doesn’t mean you’re broken; it just means you’re a person, not a textbook diagram. For a more personal breakdown of what your vulva and vagina are doing, you can always talk it out with Gush.

How hormones and your cycle change your vulva and vagina

Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about blood and mood swings—it literally changes your anatomy’s look and feel.

• Menstrual phase (Day 1–5ish)
  Hormones: Estrogen and progesterone are low.
  Effects: Vulva can feel swollen from pads/tampons, skin may be more sensitive. Vagina may feel drier once the flow lightens. Cramping from the uterus can feel like pelvic or vaginal pain.
• Follicular phase (after period, roughly Day 6–12)
  Hormones: Estrogen climbs. FSH helps follicles develop in the ovaries.
  Effects: Blood flow to vulva increases, making it plumper and more responsive. Natural lubrication ramps up; discharge is creamy/white. Many people notice sex feels easier and more comfortable.
• Ovulation (around Day 13–15 in a 28-day cycle, but it varies)
  Hormones: Estrogen peaks, LH surges, egg is released.
  Effects: Cervix softens and slightly opens, mucus goes clear and stretchy, you may feel wetter just walking around. Vulva and clitoris can feel extra sensitive, orgasms may feel more intense.
• Luteal phase (after ovulation, Day 16–28)
  Hormones: Progesterone rises, then falls; if no pregnancy, both estrogen and progesterone drop before your period.
  Effects: Some women feel more dryness, chafing, or heaviness; others feel super horny mid-luteal, then checked out right before bleeding. PMS can make everything feel like too much.

On birth control? Pills, patches, rings, and some IUDs flatten or change your natural estrogen/progesterone waves. That can mean:

• Less cervical mucus variation.
• More consistent—but sometimes lower—lubrication.
• A thinner vaginal lining, which can make you more prone to irritation or micro-tears.

When to bring vulva/vagina stuff up with a doctor

You do not need a crisis to ask questions. Bring it up if you notice:

• New or worsening pain with penetration, tampons, or exams.
• Burning, itching, cracks, or sores on the vulva.
• Sudden change in discharge (green, gray, cottage cheese–like, very foul smell).
• Bleeding after sex or between periods.
• Cycles that are very irregular (shorter than 21 days, longer than 35, or suddenly all over the place).

Normalize saying the actual words:

• “My vulva burns when I pee.”
• “My vagina feels really dry and sex hurts.”
• “My labia tear during penetration.”

If your doctor dismisses you, that’s the red flag, not your body. You deserve someone who takes your anatomy—and your pain—seriously.