summary ofThe Vagina BibleBook by Dr. Jen Gunter

first KEY POINT

A lack of reliable information pushes women into believing false ideas

There are two schools of thought when discussing the vagina — you either don’t talk about it because it’s considered dirty and therefore out of bounds, or you recount old wives’ tales and stories you’ve seen online.The truth is, not many women understand their vaginas. Not properly looking after something because you don't understand it is a big problem, especially when it’s a part of the body responsible for sexual enjoyment. If you didn’t, how could you have a great sex life?It can be hard to know what to believe and ignore, and so much of what we see on social media is unregulated — anyone could tell you they’re an expert, and you wouldn’t know otherwise. Sensationalized hacks circulate and go viral, with no proof to back them up.Throughout history, there has been an obsession with vaginal purity, which dates back to when virginity was used as a yardstick to measure a woman’s worth. We’re thankfully past those days, but so much of what we think we know about the vagina is influenced by the first physicians — all men.Dr. Jen Gunter wants to throw all those ideas out of the window and help you appreciate your vagina. But first, you need to understand your anatomy.Many people don’t know the difference between the vulva and vagina. The vulva is the outer part that you can see in the mirror. It looks after the opening of the vagina and keeps everything inside clean. What most women don’t realize is that the vulva is capable of giving sexual pleasure.

On the other hand, the vagina is the part inside the body. For many years, the opening of the vagina was talked about because of the hymen. This thin covering can break with first-time sex or other activities like horseback riding. The hymen was once thought to be an indicator of virginity, but thankfully we now know that’s not the case.In this summary, you will learn more about the vagina and see plenty of myths debunked for good. If you want to know more about your most private parts, dive into the following chapters.