What does the vagina being wet ACTUALLY mean?

What does the vagina being wet ACTUALLY mean? I'M HERE TO VAGINAL LUBRICATION ACTUALLY IS. BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT VAGINAL LUBRICATION, VAGINAL MOISTURE, DISCHARGE, AND AROUSAL FLUID ARE ALL THE SAME THING AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY NOT. SO UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE COMPLETELY CHANGES HOW YOU THINK ABOUT VAGINAL DRYNESS, MENOPAUSE, AND EVEN RECURRENT VAGINAL INFECTIONS. AS YOUR BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING BIG SISTER WHO STUDIES FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS FAILED TO TEACH YOUNG GIRLS AND WOMEN IS WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING INSIDE OF THE VAGINA. SO MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT THE VAGINA IS JUST WET, BECAUSE THAT'S THE TERM ALWAYS USED. ACTUALLY THREE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FLUID CONFUSE WITH EACH OTHER. THE FIRST ONE IS YOUR NORMAL VAGINAL MOISTURE. SO YOUR VAGINA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DRY EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT SEXUALLY AROUSED. THE VAGINAL WALLS ARE NATURALLY KEPT MOIST COMES FROM TINY BLOOD VESSELS BENEATH THE VAGINAL LINING. AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF FLUID CONTINUOUSLY FILTERS THROUGH THE VAGINAL TISSUE, WHICH IS A PROCESS THAT SCIENTISTS CALL VAGINAL TRANSDUDATION. SO YOU CAN ALMOST THINK OF IT LIKE THE TISSUE IS GENTLY HYDRATING ITSELF FROM WITHIN. MOISTURE HELPS KEEP THE VAGINAL TISSUE SOFT, ELASTIC, HEALTHY, AND PROTECTED FROM FRICTION. VAGINA'S NORMAL BASELINE HYDRATION. THE SECOND IS CERVICAL MUCUS. THIS DOESN'T COME FROM VAGINAL WALLS. IT COMES FROM THROUGHOUT YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE YOUR HORMONES WILL CHANGE BOTH THE AMOUNT AND THE CONSISTENCY OF THIS TYPE OF MUCUS. SO AROUND OVULATION, TYPICALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, IT OFTEN BECOMES CLEAR, SLIPPERY, STRETCHY, AND RESEMBLES RAW EGG WHITES BECAUSE ITS JOB IS TO HELP SPERM SURVIVE AND TRAVEL TOWARDS THE EGG. AND AFTER OVULATION, IT USUALLY BECOMES THICKER AND LESS ABUNDANT. SO IF YOU'VE EVER NOTICED A LOT MORE DISCHARGE AROUND OVULATION, THAT IS OFTEN CERVICAL MUCUS, AND IT'S NOT BECOMING MORE LUBRICATED. AND THE THIRD IS AROUSAL LUBRICATION, ALSO CALLED AROUSAL LUBRICATION. AND WHEN YOU'RE SEXUALLY AROUSED, THE VAGINA INCREASES DRAMATICALLY. THAT INCREASED BLOOD CAUSES MUCH MORE FLUID TO PASS THROUGH THE VAGINAL WALLS. AS WE DISCUSS CREATING THE SLIPPERY LUBRICATION THAT REDUCES FRICTION DURING SEX. SO SEXUAL LUBRICATION DOESN'T COME FROM A GIANT GLAND THAT SUDDENLY SWITCHES ON. IS ACTUALLY YOUR VAGINAL TISSUE RESPONDING TO INCREASED BLOOD FLOW, BY ALLOWING MORE FLUIDS TO MOVE THROUGH IT. NOW, HERE IS WHY UNDERSTANDING ALL OF THIS ACTUALLY MATTERS. SO, AS ESTROGEN DECLINES IN OUR BODIES, WHETHER THAT IS THROUGH BREASTFEEDING, CERTAIN MEDICATIONS, WE'RE TAKING, CANCER TREATMENTS, PERIMENOPAUSE, OR EVEN MENOPAUSE, THE VAGINAL TISSUE WILL CHANGE AS WELL. BECAUSE OF THE DIPPING THINNER, LESS ELASTIC, RECEIVES LESS BLOOD FLOW. AND THE CELLS THAT ALSO PRODUCE GLYCOGEN PRODUCE LESS OF IT, PRIMARY FOOD SOURCE FOR PROTECTIVE, GOOD BACTERIA. THAT HEALTHY VAGINAL MICROBIOME. SO YOU CAN LOSE GOOD BACTERIA NATURALLY DURING THIS TIME. AND BECAUSE FLOW DECREASES, LESS OF THAT EVERYDAY MOISTURE WILL BE FILTERING THROUGH SO THIS IS WHY VAGINAL DRYNESS MORE THAN SIMPLY NOT BEING WET ENOUGH. VAGINAL DRYNESS IS ACTUALLY A BIOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE TISSUE ITSELF. AND WHEN THE TISSUE BECOMES DRY, IT BECOMES MORE PRONE TO IRRITATION, BURNING, MICRO TEARS, DISCOMFORT DURING SEX, RECURRENT URINARY SYMPTOMS, AND CHANGES IN THE VAGINAL MICROBIOME. SO IT ISN'T JUST ABOUT COMFORT. IT'S ABOUT THE HEALTH AND THE FUNCTION OF THE TISSUE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SUPPORTING VAGINAL HEALTH, WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT MAKING SOMEONE FEEL WETTER OR REDUCING IT WE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUPPORTING HEALTHY TISSUE, A HEALTHY SKIN BARRIER, HEALTHY BLOOD FLOW, AND A HEALTHY MICROBIOME SO THAT VAGINA CAN FUNCTION THE WAY THAT VAGINAL MOISTURE IS OF HEALTHY PHYSIOLOGY. AND ONCE YOU BETWEEN EVERYDAY VAGINAL MOISTURE, CERVICAL MUCUS, AND SEXUAL LUBRICATION, IT BECOMES SO UNDERSTAND WHY HORMONES, AGING MEDICATIONS IN THE VAGINAL MICROBIOME AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.