What is vaginal lubrication?

There are several types of vaginal secretions vaginal secretions: those that naturally cleanse the vagina during the day, and those associated with sexual arousal.

During sexual arousal, women may not realize it, but they produce a vaginal lubrication made up of different fluids. Most of it comes from inside the vagina - blood cells in the vaginal walls pass into the vaginal cavity - but also from secretions produced by the Bartholin glands on either side of the vagina. All this helps to lubricate the entrance and interior of the vagina, preparing it for all kinds of penetration (digital, phallic, object, etc.), making it much more pleasant and avoiding any irritation or pain.

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

What does it do?

As we explained earlier, vaginal lubrication makes penetrative sex easier and more pleasurable, as it facilitates gliding and prevents friction during back-and-forth movements. It also contributes to feminine pleasure, by facilitating vaginal penetration (whether with a finger, a penis, a sex toy, etc.).

Secondly, vaginal lubrication also enables procreation. Lubrication changes the pH of the vagina (which is acidic to begin with), helping sperm to survive and move towards the ovaries.

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

When a woman becomes sexually aroused, her sexual organs will be flooded with blood. As explained above, this increase in the quantity of blood near the vagina will humidify it: the fluid from the blood vessels will flow through the walls of the vagina, lubricating it. This is known as transudation.

Secondly, the Bartholin glands at the entrance to the vagina produce cyprine under the effect of sexual arousal, to facilitate penetration by moistening the inner labia and vaginal entrance. However, this action comes later, when sexual arousal is already well advanced.

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

Nevertheless, it's worth noting that, on average, it takes women longer than men to become sexually aroused. Moreover, this duration varies greatly according to stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.

So it's important to take your time and listen carefully, while ensuring that you have the other person's consent during intercourse, in order to build up arousal gradually and, above all, at your own pace.

What's more, during sexual arousal, other changes take place. For example, the clitoris will fill with blood and harden, while increasing in size (it becomes erect). The outer and inner labia also become gorged with blood and swell slightly, taking on a slightly redder color. Heart and breathing rates accelerate, ...

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 that lubrication is too strong or too weak, and this can be due to a number of factors, such as hormonal changes (pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, etc.), taking certain medications, inadequate intimate hygiene, urinary or genital infections, STIs, fears, fluctuating desire, etc.

Some women suffer from vaginal dryness (to find out more, read our article on the subject), which can cause pain during intercourse.

On this subject, it's worth noting that lubrication is not necessarily synonymous with desire, and that there are many solutions to compensate for a lack of lubrication.

Finally, some women suffer from vaginal over-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, making it less pleasurable.

In conclusion, there really is no such thing as a "normal" amount of vaginal lubrication. The important thing is to have pleasant, pain-free penetration. So it's important to take your time!

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