Vulva vs. Vagina: What’s The Difference?

When most people discuss women’s health, they tend to use “vagina” as an all-encompassing term for everything down there. In reality, the vagina is a very specific (and absolutely amazing) part of the internal female anatomy. 

You see, many tend to confuse the vagina with the vulva, which happens to be (an absolutely amazing) part of the external female anatomy. 

This confusion or unwillingness to talk about women’s bodies does us no favors. Understanding your body is a huge part of being comfortable with it and taking care of your sexual and physical health.

So what exactly are the differences between the vulva and the vagina, you ask? We’ll tell you. 

What’s The Difference Between The Vulva And The Vagina?

Vulva? Vagina? They both start and end with the same letter. They are in the same general region of the body. They’re even often confused with one another — so what exactly is the difference between the two?

Let’s start with the vulva: your visible lady bits. 

The Vulva

The vulva is the collective term for all of the parts that you can see, AKA your external genitals. Many people — both men and women — tend to get confused about what is actually there and how it works. 

We all have that friend who didn’t know that there were three holes (the vaginal entrance, the urethra, and the anus). Now you can be the bringer of truth and anatomic accuracy with this helpful guide.

Let’s start at the top and work our way down:

Mons pubis: This is the triangular area just below your belly button. It is made up of mostly fatty tissue that covers the pubic bone and protects it from damage. It’s also generally where pubic hair begins.

Labia majora: Also known as the outer lips, the labia majora are the folds of skin on the outside of the vaginal opening. They also tend to be covered with pubic hair. 

Labia minora: There are your inner lips, and they are – unsurprisingly – in between the outer lips and the vaginal opening.

They play an important role and protect your vaginal opening and urethra from the outside elements. They also contain nerves that can add to sexual pleasure. The labia minora does not have any pubic hair.

 Clitoris: Ah, the clitoris — arguably every woman’s favorite body part down there! The clitoris is the only part of the human body that exists entirely for pleasure. It has 8,000 individual nerve endings (the penis only has 4,000).

The visible part of the clitoris is positioned where the lips of the labia minora come together. It’s a tiny nub of extremely sensitive tissue and is protected by the clitoral hood, which is a small piece of skin and tissue.

What many people don’t know is that the clitoris is actually wishbone shaped and extends several inches around either side of your vagina. Simply put, it’s much bigger than what most people think!

The vulva still has a few more parts:

Vestibule: This is the diamond-shaped space between the labia minora. It includes everything from the bottom of the clitoral hood to the vaginal opening.

Urethral opening: The urethral opening is located within the vestibule just below the clitoris and above the vaginal opening. This is where your urine leaves your body. The urethra runs from your bladder through your pelvic opening to this point. 

Vaginal opening: The vaginal opening is inside the vestibule, just below the urethral opening and above the anus. 

Anus: This is where your body disposes of solid waste from your bowels. It’s about two inches below the vagina, which is why you have to be careful with your hygiene and wiping after using the toilet.

What Does A “Normal” Vulva Look Like?

Vulvas are like snowflakes — no two are exactly the same. The size, color, and shape of the vulva can vary considerably from woman to woman.

Often, the vulvas seen in mainstream porn all look the same. This has greatly influenced a move towards some of us questioning if our own vulva looks normal or not. 

Because of this, cosmetic surgery to the vulva has been on the rise in recent years, with some women opting to reduce the size of their labia.

We believe in every woman’s right to control their own body, but we also want to reiterate that there is no “normal” standard of how a vulva should look. We want to celebrate diverse and beautiful vulvas everywhere! 

Women come in all different shapes and sizes — your vulva included. 

So, What Is The Vagina Then?

Now that we’ve got a good understanding of the vulva let’s talk about one of the coolest parts of the human body: The vagina. 

The vagina is an elastic, muscular tube that leads from your outer genitals up to your cervix and uterus. It’s what babies pass through during childbirth, as well as what a woman’s menstrual flow comes out of.

The average vagina is between 2.5 to 3.0 inches wide and 2 to 4 inches deep. The vagina can also stretch up to 200% because the vaginal walls are made up of very elastic, soft folds of tissue. That’s one seriously impressive body part!

Here’s what makes up the vagina:

Hymen: The hymen, also known as the vaginal corona, is made up of folds of thin mucous membrane just inside the entrance to the vagina.

Back in the day, it was believed that the hymen was a thick membrane that covered the entirety of the vaginal entrance in all women, only breaking once a woman had penetrative sex. However, this myth has been dispelled. 

G-Spot: The g-spot is a nexus of tissues that is sexually sensitive for some ladies. Located in the front wall of the vagina, the g-spot can feel like a spongy mound when touched.

Many people enjoy a massage-like pressure on their g-spot from finger, toy, or penis. While enjoying that kind of pressure is normal, some women find it just feels like they need to pee. It’s all dependent on what you like and neither option is right or wrong.

Cervix: Your cervix is at the very top of your vagina — it is what stops bacteria and other objects from moving into your uterus.

It is a muscular organ that has a very small hole, allowing menstrual fluid to flow out into the vagina and semen to move into the uterus to fertilize eggs.

Pelvic Floor: Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretch across the bottom of your pelvis. They are sometimes called the “love muscles” because they help keep your vagina strong.

A healthy pelvic floor is important for everything from having a healthy pregnancy to maintaining good bladder and bowel control.

Does The Vagina Change With Age?

Yes — as a matter of fact, the vagina can change a lot throughout a person’s life and is strongly influenced by hormonal changes throughout the body.

These hormonal changes, however, can sometimes disrupt the natural pH balance in the vagina. If your personal vaginal pH changes too much it can lead to things like bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections. 

If you start experiencing a lot of itching or discomfort down there, you might have an infection. As long as it’s not your first infection it’s okay to look at home treatments before heading to the doctor. You can use over the counter options like VeeCleanse to treat both BV and yeast infections.

A Final Word

Having a solid understanding of your own anatomy has a huge effect on both your ability to manage your own health and your sexuality. The more comfortable you are with your own body, the easier it will be to help someone else become more, ahem, familiar with it.

Ladies, we should not be afraid or embarrassed to truly understand our bodies and to talk openly about our health! Be informed and feel empowered. It will make you even more awesome than you already are.