What Happens To Your Vagina After Sex? 7 Things You Should Know

During sex, there is significant swelling of the external organs, including the vulva, clitoris, labia, and the vagina itself, explains Wise. What happens to your vagina after sex, however, is a decrease in swelling. Afterward, everything returns to its regular “resting” state.

In some instances, sexual activity can result in discomfort later on. “Sometimes you may be sore or have spotting after sex, which can happen for a number of reasons, including skin irritation caused by friction or an allergic reaction,” Dr. Gillian Dean, Senior Director of Medical Services at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, tells Romper via email. Using plenty of water or silicone-based lubricant can help prevent the tears and friction that can result in this discomfort after sex.

Really, there are multiple reasons why your vagina may experience soreness after sex. In fact, anything from a particularly vigorous love-making session to an STI could cause this. If you have any concerns related to your sexual health, then see a doctor for advice.

It’s common for that “turned-on” feeling to last for a little while. “It's normal for the vagina to feel more sensitive and engorged for several minutes after sex. All the increased blood flow to the area that helped increase sensitivity and pleasure, takes a little while to return to a non-sexual state,” Dr. Jenn Conti, Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health and OB-GYN, tells Romper via email. So while you’re mentally winding down, your body is winding down, too.

For some people, a revved-up vagina may appear to have a slightly different hue than one in a resting state. “The increased blood flow can darken the tissues temporarily,” says Wise. It’s somewhat like the reaction that makes your cheeks blush with embarrassment or arousal.

Granted, you’re probably not going to whip out a thermometer to check this fact when things start getting hot and heavy. But the local temperature of your genitals can increase with arousal, explains Wise. When the activity is done, then everything returns to its usual temp.

Arousal can cause a vagina to change in size. “The vagina is very accommodating,” says Conti. “One of the most fascinating things about it is that it naturally expands in length as part of the sexual response, as a way of better accommodating a penis or sexual toy and preventing injury.” Really, its expansive ability is pretty impressive. “Vaginas also have the ability to stretch in size to make room for things to go in and out, and during penetration, your vagina can expand anywhere from two inches up to eight inches in length,” says Dean. When sex is complete, they return to their regular resting state.

This also applies to the post-baby vagina, too. Even giving birth won’t change things down there very much, as vaginas are made to stretch and return to their regular shape without a hitch, whether that’s for a sex session or delivering a baby.

The vagina is built to experience sex and then go back to business as usual without any major, fundamental changes. “Sex doesn't change vaginas per se,” says Conti, further explaining that “you can't look at a vagina and tell whether or not someone is a virgin.” Really, what happens to the vagina after sex is that it bounces back pretty quickly. “After sex, your vagina will typically go back to its usual size, color and temperature within a few minutes to a half-hour or more,” says Dean. For the most part, any physical changes to the vagina caused by sex are temporary.