What is vaginal lubrication?

There are several types of vaginal secretions There are several types of vaginal secretions: those that naturally clean the vagina during the day and those related to sexual arousal.

During sexual arousal, women may not realize it, but they produce vaginal lubrication which is made up of different fluids. Most of it comes from inside the vagina - in fact, the blood cells in the walls of the vagina pass into the vaginal cavity - but also from the secretions produced by the Bartholin's glands, which are located on each side of the vagina. All this contributes to lubricate the entrance and the interior of the vagina to prepare it for all kinds of penetrations (digital, phallic, object, ...) making it much more pleasant and avoiding all irritations and pain.

Vaginal lubrication is therefore a physical response, linked to hormones and triggered during sexual excitement in women.

What is its role?

As we explained previously, vaginal lubrication facilitates sexual intercourse with penetration by making it pleasant, because it favours slippage by avoiding friction during the back and forth movement. It is also a guarantee, in part, of female pleasure because it facilitates vaginal penetration (whether with a finger, a penis, a sex toy, ...).

Then, vaginal lubrication also allows procreation. Indeed, lubrication will change the pH of the vagina (which is rather acidic at the base), in order to promote the survival of spermatozoa, as well as their movement towards the ovaries.

What role does vaginal lubrication play in the female arousal process?

If a woman is sexually aroused, the sexual organs will be very irrigated with blood. This increase in the amount of blood near the vagina will therefore allow, as explained above, to moisten the vagina: the fluid that comes from the blood vessels will flow through the walls of the vagina and allow its lubrication. This is called transudation.

Then, the Bartholin glands, located at the entrance of the vagina, will produce, under the effect of sexual excitement, cyprine in order to facilitate penetration by moistening the inner lips and the entrance of the vagina. Nevertheless, this action appears in a second time, when the sexual excitement is already well advanced.

Thus, these fluids are rather transparent and can have different textures, colors and odors depending on the woman. They are sometimes compared to the pre-seminal fluid in men.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that women take longer on average than men to have a strong sexual arousal. Moreover, this duration is very variable according to the stress, tiredness, the consumption of tobacco, alcohol,?

It is therefore important to take one's time and to listen, while ensuring the consent of the other during sexual intercourse, in order to increase the excitement gradually and especially at his pace.

Moreover, during sexual excitement, other changes will take place. For example, the clitoris will fill with blood and harden, while increasing in size (it becomes erect). The external and internal labia will also fill with blood and swell slightly, taking on a slightly redder color. The heart and respiratory rate increases, ...

What influences vaginal lubrication?

The volume of fluid secreted during vaginal lubrication depends on many factors and is often different from one woman to another. It can happen to have a too strong or too weak lubrication which can be due to many things like hormonal modifications (pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause, ...), the taking of certain drugs, an inadequate intimate hygiene, urinary or genital infections, STI, fears, a fluctuating desire, ...

Thus some women suffer from vaginal dryness (to know more about it, you can read our article on the subject), which can cause pain during sexual intercourse.

In this regard, note that lubrication is not necessarily synonymous with desire and that there are many solutions to overcome a lack of lubrication.

Finally, some women suffer from vaginal excess lubrication syndrome. In short, before and during sex, they secrete "too much" fluid. This is often due to a hormonal imbalance. This is not serious in itself, but the woman may feel less sensation during penetrative sex, which makes it less enjoyable.

In conclusion, there is no "normal" amount of vaginal lubrication. The important thing is to have a pleasant and painless penetration. It is therefore important to take your time!

To protect you during your cycles or in case of too abundant secretions, our menstrual panties in organic cotton are ideal!