{"id":27282,"date":"2019-12-26T13:10:51","date_gmt":"2019-12-26T12:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=27282"},"modified":"2025-09-14T21:37:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T19:37:38","slug":"vagina-vs-vulva-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/vagina-vs-vulva-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Vagina vs. Vulva: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The terms ‘vagina’ and ‘vulva’ are commonly, and mistakingly, referred to as the same thing. Learning the difference can help us better communicate what we want out of sex and intimacy.<\/p>\n

What is a Vagina?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While many people use the term \u2018vagina\u2019 as a catchall for the entirety of sexual organs belonging to cis women. However, the vagina is actually just one special part of it all. The vagina refers exclusively to the inside part of cis female anatomy (and assigned female at birth anatomy) that leads from the vaginal opening and ends at the cervix.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve talked about <\/span>how deep a vagina is<\/span><\/a> before, and if you care to have a brush up, it\u2019s really quite an amazing part of the body! We tend to talk a lot about penis size, but what about the size of it’s common counterpartner? Good news, vaginas are elastic<\/a> in the sense that they are biologically capable of retaking shape after penetration. <\/span><\/p>\n

When aroused, it \u2018opens\u2019 up and self lubricates to allow a penis, sex toy, fingers, etc to comfortably enter. It can also accommodate a whole infant human leaving, and has the support of <\/span>pelvic floor muscles<\/span><\/a> to return back to shape.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Vulva?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The vulva is the entirety of the external sex organs. That includes the opening of the vagina, but it\u2019s so much more than that. The <\/span>clitoris<\/span><\/a> is included in the vulva, as well as the labia majora and minora. <\/span>Basically, if you can see it, then you\u2019re in vulva territory. <\/span><\/p>\n

Just a friendly reminder that female stimulation typically occurs in this area. The clitoris is equipped for pleasure with a lot of nerve endings that can be aroused through different methods<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is the Difference Important?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Education about our bodies, especially the sexual parts, tends to be overlooked. This can lead to confusion and shame about things that can be totally normally, and should be as innocuous as talking about your elbow. <\/span><\/p>\n

Masturbation can only be enhanced when exploring and understanding how stimulation differs between the vagina and vulva, which is how blended orgasms<\/a> can occur. Knowing the correct names (and having an understanding of how it all works) certainly has its pleasurable applications, sure. <\/span><\/p>\n

But being able to explain to a doctor, for example, pain experienced around the vulva vs in the vagina is pretty important when it comes to seeking medical attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discover pleasure with:<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The terms ‘vagina’ and ‘vulva’ are commonly, and mistakingly, referred to as the same thing. Learning the difference can help us better communicate what we want out of sex and intimacy. What is a Vagina? While many people use the term \u2018vagina\u2019 as a catchall for the entirety of sexual organs belonging to cis women. However, the vagina is actually just one special part of it all. The vagina refers exclusively to the inside part of cis female anatomy (and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":24654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[669,753],"coauthors":[950],"class_list":["post-27282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexual-health","tag-sexual-health","tag-women"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is a Vagina, and How is it Different from a Vulva?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019re about to get deep into the differences between body parts, and explain what a vagina is and what a vulva is \u2013 so buckle up!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/vagina-vs-vulva-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta 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