Fact: Aging is inevitable. No matter how much you want to preserve your youth by using tons of anti-aging products on your skin, wrinkles and age spots will always find a way to come knocking at your door.
Sooner or later, your hair turns gray, your vision changes, and you gain weight, despite spending most of your time in the gym. Worse than that, all of a sudden, sex seems like a foreign concept to you.
Sorry, ladies, but that’s how things go. Eventually, you will have to face the fact that you are no longer a teenager. Even if you discovered the fountain of youth, aging symptoms will always find a way to get into your life and remind you how old you really are.
Aside from the aging signs mentioned, there is one area in your body that is greatly affected by aging: your area down there. Yes, we are talking about your vagina.
In case you’re wondering, here’s what happens in your lady love down south.
1. The Healthy 20’s
Finally, you can say goodbye to puberty and you don’t ever have to go through it again. This stage is the peak of your youth. When in your 20’s, provided you don’t have any serious medical conditions, your area down there cooperates with you most of the time.
This means anytime you want and as long as your libido is activated, the idea of steamy sex on the beach or a quickie in the closet under the stairs turns you on instantly.
The 20’s is also a period where your vagina is healthy. The hormones, estrogen and testosterone, are working well to keep you well lubricated and ready when the situation calls for it.
You will also notice the thinning of your labia majora, also known as the “outer lips.” This is because as you add more years to your life, the subcutaneous fat inside your body decreases. This includes your outer lips as well, hence the slimmer look.
A piece of advice: even if you are healthy down there, this doesn’t mean you have to skip your doctor’s visits or miss getting a Pap smear. Cervical cancer is a risk, especially for younger women, so make sure you say hello to your gynecologist as often as you can.
2. Getting Pregnant in Your 30’s
For the sake of simplicity, let’s say you get pregnant in your late 20’s to 30’s. At this stage, things also start to be a bit different.
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After giving birth, your pelvic floor is stretched and becomes weak. The trauma of carrying a baby, a stretched uterus and the estrogen lost are the main reasons why your pelvic floor weakens.
This could affect not just your libido, but also the intensity of your orgasms. In this case, Kegels exercises would be of great help to bring your pelvic floor back to its original shape.
You will also notice that the labia minora, or the inner lip that covers your clitoris and vaginal opening starts to darken. That’s okay and there is nothing to worry about. The hormonal shift associated with pregnancy and aging causes the grayish color down there.
There are number of women who might experience early menopause in their 30’s. If there are changes in your periods, and you notice the subtle signs of menopause, such as hot flashes, mood swings and depression, don’t hesitate to consult a doctor. Early menopause is not a normal thing, and there might be a medical condition responsible for it.
3. Almost Menopausal in Your 40’s
They say life begins after 40. That’s true. Finally, you don’t have to worry about bringing your kids to school or waking up at five in the morning to prepare their meals.
You also don’t have to teach them their lessons. After all these years, you are able to enjoy your hard-earned money and spoil yourself from time to time.
This is where the real fun begins.
In your 40’s, you start to encounter hormonal changes that come with perimenopause, the stage before your actual menopause. Your body experiences hormonal fluctuations, which could have a serious impact on your sex life. In other words, 40’s is the time where sexual dysfunction is at its peak.
Even if you are sexually active in your 20’s, you will experience vaginal dryness and decreases in sexual arousal. Your estrogen levels are likewise affected by aging. Don’t be surprised when you experience itching, redness or burning sensation down there. Hormonal fluctuations and the lack of estrogen affects your vagina’s acid-alkaline balance, which leads to inflammation.
That’s not all. In your 40’s, your egg supply dwindles rapidly.
This means you could still get your period and ovulation is still possible, which is why there are celebrities in their 40’s who still get pregnant.
However, your cycles are shorter and irregular as it prepares your body for the menopausal stage.
If you are worried about your pelvic floor in your 30’s, you have to be serious in doing your Kegels by your 40’s. Keep in mind that the tissues, muscles and tendons that support your reproductive organs need to stay in place. Aging, years of high-impact workouts and weight gain could loosen the pelvic floor and strain your organs.
The good news is, there are ways to get over the vaginal changes in this stage. Aside from seriously doing your Kegels, vaginal moisturizer and lubricants could help make sex easier and more comfortable. Lots of sex is actually beneficial at this stage, so go ahead and get into some action with your man.
4. Saying Hello to Your 50’s
Your 40’s signal your body that it is about to say hello to menopause. By the time you reach 51, you enter the world of menopause, which means no more tampons, red days and even menstrual cramps ever again.This may sound good, but are you ready for what’s about to come?
At this stage, your hormone levels continue to drop. This means vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy are at its peak. At the same time, the drop in hormones estrogen and progesterone weakens your vaginal walls and makes the vaginal tissues thin and dry. Sex during your 50’s could be painful due to the changes in your vaginal walls.
You can’t help but notice your hair down there. One of the most noticeable changes in the vaginal area is the thinning or graying of pubic hair. As you get even older, you might experience the loss of pubic hair, especially after menopause. That’s fine. The good news is you don’t have to go through shaving or the painful bikini waxing anymore.
Your vagina starts to retire, as well. You may not notice it, but both the vaginal opening and length of the vagina could shrink at this stage.
Hence, keeping yourself well-hydrated would help a lot in keeping your area down there lubricated. If you have been using a vaginal moisturizer and a lubricant in your 40’s,
you will need it even more, at least during sex, when you are in your 50’s.This helps in minimizing pain and discomfort during sexy sessions with your man at night.
5. Retiring in Your 60’s
At this point in your life, all you have to worry about is making the most out of your remaining years. Let’s face it, enjoying every waking day is the least you could do to make your life more meaningful.
But, what about your area down there?
As you age, your sexual health is related to your overall health. This means any difficulty or ease down there depends on what you eat, your lifestyle choices and the existence of any medical conditions. This also means your overall health and nutrition affects your hormone levels and how your reproductive system works.
You could also experience a condition called vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA). This is the result of the gradual loss of estrogen during the perimenopause and menopause stages.
The vaginal tissues are paler and smoother, your labia become distinct and the vulva will lose its “fullness.” The good news is, you don’t have to worry about this and just move on.
Therefore, it pays a lot to still workout regularly, eat healthy and stay on top of your hormone treatments. Pelvic floor exercises are also important at this stage to make sure that the muscles and tissues down there support your organs. Believe it or not, you could still have a healthy sex life at 60’s and beyond, as long as you are in tip-top shape.
There are many ways you can make the transition as smooth as possible. Eating healthy and regular exercising could save you. However, having a moisturizer on hand helps relieve pain, itch and dryness down there. Wearing cotton underwear could ease itchiness down south, too.
Adding sex to your daily routine makes the changes less pronounced. Regular intercourse keeps your area down there flexible and moist.
Don’t forget to use a lubricant to make sex less painful and a lot more comfortable, too.
Keep in mind that aging is a natural way of life. If you are concerned with anything in particular, don’t hesitate to consult a doctor and voice out any of your concerns. There is a 99.9 percent chance that they have heard that already and can help you live a better life.