What is 'winter vagina'? Body phenomenon can affect women's sex life in cold weather
An ex-midwife has forewarned that with winter coming, women should prepare for a bodily phenomenon that may be a cause for concern. Mary Burke, a former NHS midwife and senior clinical nurse at the London Bridge Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Clinic said that the “winter vagina” is very real and it can affect sex lives in the coming holiday season.
Speaking with The Sun, Burke said: “Dry autumn and winter air depletes moisture from our bodies, leaving our skin dehydrated and cracked, and out sinuses parched. And while it’s an issue few will want to discuss openly, our vaginas can enter ‘drought mode’ during this time, too. When we spend a lot of time in air conditioned rooms, or with the heating on, we’re living in air which carries very little moisture.”
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“And the dryness we experience can often extend to every inch of our bodies - including our most private regions,” she added. However, another expert Dr Jen Gunter has claimed that vaginal dryness is not related to outside weather. Dr Gunter said, “Vaginas function quite well in all seasons. The vagina maintains a steady temperature because it is inside your body and human body temperature only rises with the outside temperature when someone is suffering from heat stroke.”
Though it’s not proven if the weather plays a role in the condition of the vagina, vaginal dryness is a real condition that affects women of all ages. The symptoms of this occurrence include unbearable pain during sex, difficulty getting aroused and reaching orgasm, discomfort, irritating or a burning sensation, the surface of the vagina looking pale and thin, narrowing or shortening of the vagina, and needing to pee more than usual.
Reports have also said that vaginal dryness can mostly occur to women going through menopause while other factors that can cause it are some specific medication, diabetes, breastfeeding or childbirth, and low levels of oestrogen, the female sex hormone.
Meanwhile, Burke has shared some tips that can lower the chances of getting vaginal dryness. She advised women to have an apple juice every day along with green leafy vegetables. She also recommended eating watermelon to maintain the balance of vaginal pH, which needs to be between 3.8 to 4.5. Coconut water is also helpful as it contains lauric acid, which can counter harmful bacteria. Carrots and sweet potatoes are also good for vaginal health. Apart from food, an expert has advised women to stress less and focus on physical activity. Bubble baths and the use of scented soaps can also irritate the skin down there.
Just like the fears of “winter vagina”, a few years back “summer penis” made the news. In 2018, the Internet was buzzing with the idea that penises look larger in summers and smaller in winters. At the time, journalist Tracy Moore wrote a feature about it for MEL Magazine. In the piece, she said, “Everything swells when it’s hot out — including your hog. This is the science of seasonal dick fluctuation.”
“Summer penis is an elusive phenomenon that answers to the sway of the seasons. No barbell can boost it; no foodstuff can fill it. Summer penis is a temporary dick fluctuation that, thanks to the heat and warmth, gives you a months-long leg-up on shaft size. It’d be like if a woman’s boobs suddenly got huge from May to August,” Moore added.
Her claims were supported by some experts too as Dr Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist with Orlando Health, said: “When it’s hot outside, your body does try to evaporate the heat through sweat. Also when it’s hot outside, you may take in more water, which may in combination with the sweating make it appear like your body or skin is bloated. And that may give you the perception that things are larger.”