Human vaginal size
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The dimensions and shape of the human vagina are are of great importance in medicine and surgery; there appears to be no one way, however, to characterize the vagina's size and shape.[1] In addition to variations in size and shape from individual to individual, a single woman's vagina can vary substantially in size and shape during sexual arousal and sexual intercourse.[2] Parity is associated with a significant increase in the length of the vaginal fornix.[1] The potential effect of parity may be via stretching and elongation of the birth canal at the time of vaginal childbirth.[1]
Although the dimensions of the human vagina have not been the subject of intensive research to the same extent as research into human penis size,[1] a number of research studies have been made of the dimensions of the human vagina.
Dimensions in the baseline state
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A 1996 study by Pendergrass et al. using vinyl polysiloxane castings taken from the vaginas of 39 Caucasian women, found the following ranges of dimensions:[3]
- lengths (measured using rods): 6.86 to 14.81 cm (2.7 to 5.83 inches);
- widths: 4.8 to 6.3 cm (1.88 to 2.48 inches);
- introital diameters: 2.39 to 6.45 cm (0.94 to 2.53 inches)
A second study by the same group showed significant variations in size and shape between the vaginas of women of different ethnic groups.[4] Both studies showed a wide range of vaginal shapes, described by the researchers as "Parallel sided, conical, heart, [...] slug"[3] and "pumpkin seed"[4] shapes.
A 2003 study by the group of Pendergrass et al. also using castings as a measurement method, measured vaginal surface areas ranging from 65.73 to 107.07 cm² (10.19 to 16.60 sq. inches) with a mean of 87.46 cm² (13.56 sq. inches) and a standard deviation of 7.80 cm² (1.21 sq inches)[5]
Research published in 2006 by Barnhart et al., gave the following mean dimensions, based on MRI scans of 28 women:[1]
- Mean length from cervix to introitus: 6.27 cm (2.46").
- Mean width:
- at the proximal vagina: 3.25 cm (1.27");
- at the pelvic diaphragm: 2.78 cm (1.09");
- at the introitus: 2.62 cm (1.03")
Dimensions in pregnancy and childbirth
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Dimensions of surgically created neovaginas
The depth of the typical neovagina created by male-to-female sex reassignment surgery is generally limited by the length of Denonvilliers' fascia,[citation needed] and is reported to be between 11 and 12 cm, within the range of the natural female vagina.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi: 10.1093/humrep/del022, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with
|doi= 10.1093/humrep/del022instead. - ^ a b Anne A. Lawrence. "Notes on Genital Dimensions". Retrieved 2012-05-13.
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|pmid=12771458instead.
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