All Topics  
Vaginal lubrication

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Vaginal lubrication
 
 
  Topics Vaginal lubrication Topic Home

Vaginal lubrication is the naturally produced lubricating
Lubrication

Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces....
 fluid that reduces friction during sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the Penis enters the Vagina. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphrodite, as is the case with snails....
. It is typically produced with women's sexual arousal
Sexual arousal

Sexual arousal is the the arousal of sexual desires in preparation for sexual behavior....
, but also can be produced when there is no arousal. While plasma seepage from vaginal walls due to vascular engorgement is considered to be the chief lubrication source, the Bartholin's glands, located slightly below and to the left and right of the introitus (opening of the vagina
Vagina

The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....
), also secrete mucus to augment vaginal-wall secretions.

Vaginal dryness is the condition in which this lubrication is insufficient.

lubrication fluid contains water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, pyridine
Pyridine

Pyridine is a simple and important heterocyclic aromatic organic compound with the formula CarbonHydrogenNitrogen. This colorless liquid with a distinctive fish-like odor is structurally related to benzene, wherein one CH group in the six-membered ring is replaced by a nitrogen atom....
, squalene
Squalene

Squalene is a natural organic compound originally obtained for commercial purposes primarily from shark liver oil, though there are botanic sources as well, including amaranth seed, rice bran, wheat germ, and olives....
, urea
Urea

Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula 2carbonoxygen.Urea is also known by the International Nonproprietary Name carbamide, as established by the World Health Organization....
, acetic acid
Acetic acid

Acetic acid, CH3COOH, also known as ethanoic acid, is an organic acid which gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell. Pure, water-free acetic acid is a colourless liquid that absorbs water from the environment , and freezes at 16.7 Celsius to a colourless crystalline solid....
, lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
, complex alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
s and glycols, ketone
Ketone

In organic chemistry, a ketone is a type of organic compound which contains a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms in the form:Neither of the substituents R1 and R2 may be equal to hydrogen ....
s, and aldehyde
Aldehyde

An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a terminal carbonyl group. This functional group, which consists of a carbon atom bonded to a hydrogen atom and double bond to an oxygen atom , is called the aldehyde group....
s.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Vaginal lubrication'
Start a new discussion about 'Vaginal lubrication'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Vaginal lubrication is the naturally produced lubricating
Lubrication

Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces....
 fluid that reduces friction during sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the Penis enters the Vagina. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphrodite, as is the case with snails....
. It is typically produced with women's sexual arousal
Sexual arousal

Sexual arousal is the the arousal of sexual desires in preparation for sexual behavior....
, but also can be produced when there is no arousal. While plasma seepage from vaginal walls due to vascular engorgement is considered to be the chief lubrication source, the Bartholin's glands, located slightly below and to the left and right of the introitus (opening of the vagina
Vagina

The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....
), also secrete mucus to augment vaginal-wall secretions.

Vaginal dryness is the condition in which this lubrication is insufficient.

Composition

The lubrication fluid contains water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, pyridine
Pyridine

Pyridine is a simple and important heterocyclic aromatic organic compound with the formula CarbonHydrogenNitrogen. This colorless liquid with a distinctive fish-like odor is structurally related to benzene, wherein one CH group in the six-membered ring is replaced by a nitrogen atom....
, squalene
Squalene

Squalene is a natural organic compound originally obtained for commercial purposes primarily from shark liver oil, though there are botanic sources as well, including amaranth seed, rice bran, wheat germ, and olives....
, urea
Urea

Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula 2carbonoxygen.Urea is also known by the International Nonproprietary Name carbamide, as established by the World Health Organization....
, acetic acid
Acetic acid

Acetic acid, CH3COOH, also known as ethanoic acid, is an organic acid which gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell. Pure, water-free acetic acid is a colourless liquid that absorbs water from the environment , and freezes at 16.7 Celsius to a colourless crystalline solid....
, lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
, complex alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
s and glycols, ketone
Ketone

In organic chemistry, a ketone is a type of organic compound which contains a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms in the form:Neither of the substituents R1 and R2 may be equal to hydrogen ....
s, and aldehyde
Aldehyde

An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a terminal carbonyl group. This functional group, which consists of a carbon atom bonded to a hydrogen atom and double bond to an oxygen atom , is called the aldehyde group....
s. The fluid is typically clear and more resembling of male pre-ejaculate
Pre-ejaculate

Pre-ejaculate is the clear, colorless, viscosity fluid that emits from the urethra of a man's penis when he is sexually aroused....
 than male ejaculate. It can vary in consistency, texture, taste, color, and odor, depending on sexual arousal
Sexual arousal

Sexual arousal is the the arousal of sexual desires in preparation for sexual behavior....
, the phase of the menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiology changes that occurs in reproductive-age females. Overt menstruation occurs primarily in humans and close evolutionary relatives such as chimpanzees....
, the presence of an infection, certain drugs (legal or illegal), genetic factors, and diet.

Vaginal fluid is slightly acidic and can become more acidic with certain sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease

A sexually transmitted disease , also known as sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex....
s. The normal pH
PH

pH is a measure of the Acid or Base of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the Activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations....
 of vaginal fluid is between 3.8 and 4.5, whereas male semen
Semen

Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoon....
 is typically between 7.2 and 8.0 (a neutral substance has a pH of 7.0).

Changes in vaginal lubrication

Certain medications, including some over-the-counter antihistamine
Antihistamine

An H1 antagonist is a histamine antagonist of the histamine H1 receptor that serves to reduce or eliminate effects mediated by histamine, an endogenous chemical mediator released during allergy....
s, as well as life events such as pregnancy, lactation
Lactation

Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young....
, menopause
Menopause

The Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation which occurs a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan.The word was first applied to humans, and because of this it literally means the cessation of monthly cycles or menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots meno and pausis ....
, aging
Senescence

Senescence encompasses all of the biological processes of a living organism's approaching an advanced age . The word senescence is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man" or "old age" or "advanced in age"....
 or diseases such as diabetes, will inhibit lubrication. Medicines with anticholinergic
Anticholinergic

An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system....
 or sympathomimetic effects will dry out the mucosal or "wet" tissues of the vagina. Such medicines include many common drugs for allergic, cardiovascular, psychiatric, and other medical conditions. Oral contaceptives may also increase or decrease vaginal lubrication.

Role in disease transmission

Safe sex
Safe sex

Safe sex is the practice of sexual activity in a manner that reduces the risk of infection with sexually transmitted diseases . Conversely, unsafe sex is the practice of sexual intercourse without regard for prevention of STDs....
 educators warn that the vaginal fluids of a woman who is infected with HIV
HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
 or other STD
Sexually transmitted disease

A sexually transmitted disease , also known as sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex....
s can transmit the disease, even in the absence of direct penile-vaginal sexual intercourse, so direct contact is discouraged.

Artificial lubrication

When natural lubrication is insufficient, penetrative intercourse may be uncomfortable or painful. A personal lubricant
Personal lubricant

Personal lubricants are specialized lubricants which serve, during sexual acts , to reduce friction with the penis, vagina, anus or other body parts....
 applied to the vaginal opening and/or the penis can prevent this discomfort. More rarely, a vaginal suppository
Suppository

A suppository is a drug delivery system that is inserted either into the rectum , vagina or urethra where it dissolves.They are used to deliver both systemically-acting and locally-acting medications....
 may be inserted prior to intercourse
Intercourse

Intercourse can refer to:*Sexual intercourse*Any kind of human communication and/or interaction*Intercourse , by Andrea Dworkin*Intercourse, Alabama...
.

Oil-based lubricant
Personal lubricant

Personal lubricants are specialized lubricants which serve, during sexual acts , to reduce friction with the penis, vagina, anus or other body parts....
s can weaken latex and reduce the effectiveness of condom
Condom

A condom is a device most commonly used during sexual intercourse. It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner....
s, latex gloves, or dental dam
Dental dam

Dental dams or rubber dams are rectangular sheets of latex used in dentistry, specifically endodontic therapy. They are also used during Human sexual behavior as a safe sex technique....
s as either forms of birth control
Birth control

Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of pregnancy or childbirth....
 or for protection from sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease

A sexually transmitted disease , also known as sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex....
s, so water-
Personal lubricant

Personal lubricants are specialized lubricants which serve, during sexual acts , to reduce friction with the penis, vagina, anus or other body parts....
 or silicone-based
Personal lubricant

Personal lubricants are specialized lubricants which serve, during sexual acts , to reduce friction with the penis, vagina, anus or other body parts....
 lubricants are often used instead.

Removal of lubrication

Some women use products to remove the lubrication, so that they can have dry sex
Dry sex

Dry sex is a sexual practice of minimizing vaginal secretions by using herbal aphrodisiacs, household detergents, antiseptics, by wiping out the vagina, or by placing leaves in the vagina....
. The process of deliberately drying the vagina is a common precursor to sex in sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....
. The goal of this removal of lubrication is to make the vagina dry and tight, supposedly to increase sexual pleasure for the man. However, these practices make sex very painful for the woman. Dry sex is common in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....
 and is of concern as it increases the chances of transmitting sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease

A sexually transmitted disease , also known as sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex....
s (STDs) such as HIV
HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
 for both partners. The lack of lubrication required for dry sex causes lacerations in the delicate tissue of the vagina, increasing the risk of HIV transmission.

See also

  • Toxic shock syndrome
    Toxic shock syndrome

    Toxic shock syndrome is a very rare but potentially fatal illness caused by a Exotoxin. Different bacteriuml toxins may cause toxic shock syndrome, depending on the situation....
    , linked to the use of tampons which excessively dry up the vaginal lubrication
  • Spinnbarkeit
    Spinnbarkeit

    Spinnbarkeit is a medical term and refers to the stringy and/or stretchy quality found to varying degrees in mucus, saliva, and similar fluids. The term is used especially with reference to cervical mucus at the time just prior to or during ovulation....
    , the stretchiness of cervical mucus associated with ovulation; one property of this secretion is to lubricate the vagina
  • Urethral sponge
    Urethral sponge

    The urethral sponge is a spongy cushion of biological tissue, found in the lower genitals of women, that sits against both the pubic bone and vaginal wall, and surrounds the urethra....
  • Skene's gland
    Skene's gland

    In human anatomy , the Skene's glands are glands located on the anterior wall of the vagina, around the lower end of the urethra. They drain into the urethra and near the urethral opening....
  • Bartholin's gland
    Bartholin's gland

    The Bartholin's glands are two glands located slightly below and to the left and right of the opening of the vagina in women. They were first described in the 17th century, by the Danish anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Younger ....
  • G-spot
    G-spot

    The Gr?fenberg spot, or G-spot, is a female erogenous zone which when stimulated can lead to high levels of sexual arousal and powerful orgasms....
    , a still-contested female erogenous zone
  • AFE zone, the so-called second G-spot
  • Female ejaculation
    Female ejaculation

    Female ejaculation refers to the expulsion of noticeable amounts of clear fluid by human females from the Skene's gland through and around the urethra during or before orgasm....


External links