It has more nicknames than possibly any other female body part (sideways smile, anyone?), its own doctor, and the ability to bring you tons of pleasure — not to mention pain, particularly if you plan to have a baby. Yet the vagina remains a mystery to many. In fact, a Cosmo poll found that more than 60 percent of women say they don’t know a lot about their vadge — which is unfortunate, because a new study reports that chicks who feel confident about their down-there area have more orgasms. So we’ve put together a list of 15 bits of info to boost your V-zone comfort level. These are the crucial facts about how it functions, keeping it healthy, and increasing the amount of bliss it brings you.

1. It’s just one part of your down-there region
Most of us use the word vagina to refer to our private parts. But technically, the term describes only the narrow canal that runs inside your body from the vulva (the visible area that includes the inner and outer labia, clitoris, and perineum) to the cervix (the lower portion of the uterus).

2. Vaginas generally look alike
…On the inside, that is. What does vary is the vulva. The clitoris ranges from 1 to 1¼ inches (including the hood), the outer labia can be barely there or a few inches long, and the inner labia, which are reminiscent of butterfly wings, might be hidden or hang past the outer lips. Most women’s labia aren’t perfectly symmetrical — one side is usually bigger than the other…

[continues at Cosmopolitan]

Women are undergoing surgery to create perfect genitalia amid a “shocking” lack of information on the potential risks of the procedure, a report says.

Research published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology also questions the very notion of aesthetically pleasing genitals.

Operations to improve the appearance of the sex organs for both psychological and physical reasons are on the rise.

But surgeons said the report overplayed the risks of an established procedure.

Researchers from University College London reviewed all the existing studies on cosmetic labial surgery – which generally involves reducing the amount of tissue that protrudes from the lips which cover the vagina. They found there had been little work to document any longer-term side effects…