Vulva. Vagina.

The two V’s that make up the V between my legs. Just to be clear because there are still a lot of people confused about which is what. My vulva is the external parts of my genitals, that includes the labia, the clit, the opening to my urethra and the opening to my vagina. The vagina is the internal part that leads up to my cervix from where period blood comes from and fingers, tongues penis, and toys get inserted for pleasure.

I think when it comes to peri-menopause and menopause the general message seems to be that things get dryer and less responsive in the vulva and vagina area but the truth is actually far more detailed that. For most women that change does not just happen overnight. Sure we all have times when we are wetter than others and when we respond sexually faster than others, health, temperature, time of the month, all sorts of things have an impact but usually that is a series of lows and highs over time. I feel like the effects of the menopause are often portrayed as a downward slide but in my experience just like over the rest of life it has not been linear. It fluctuates and changes and at times has been very subtle in doing so.

Mostly it has not changed very much at all. Even before I started taking the HRT. Yes I was using lube a bit more often than I had in the past and mostly finding that once I used a tiny bit to get things going my body did the rest. Again, something I have experienced at times throughout my sexual life. I guess now it was happening slightly more often. Although dial back 2 years to the very first slight peri-menopausal symptoms and the opposite was true. I actually found I was increasingly wet. Which matched the fact that my libido was particularly on fire. As I wrote in my post about libido, apparently that is a not uncommon symptoms of peri-menopause. No one ever seems to tell you that.

So back to the two V’s; vulva and vagina. Mostly everything was fine but the last 2 or 3 months before I started the HRT there was one thing that had changed which I was particularly sad about. I didn’t seem to smell like me any more. I like how my cunt smells. I even wrote about it in the post, Sniffy. That musky sometimes even earthy smell is something I enjoy about my body. I actually had been known to say I am having a good cunt smell day. Those are the days when my smell just seems so good and I find myself being turned on by it.

At first I didn’t really notice it. Like everything it ebbs and flows but the first time I noticed it seemed to be missing was when I briefly had a sexual partner back at the end of last summer (2021). Usually having sex will result in me having ‘sex smells’ but suddenly I realised that didn’t seem to be happening. Not like it used to. To be fair we didn’t really have PIV but still it was then that I noticed something had changed with my vulva scent.

What actually confirmed it for me was starting the HRT because within about 6 – 8 weeks I suddenly realised it was back. I smelt like me again. When it was gone, well again, it is subtle slow gradual change that you find yourself questioning whether it has actually happened or you are imaging it. When when one day I suddenly noticed it was back that was actually when I realised I had not imagined it and it had vanished.

I guess it is not surprising really, It is hormones that gives us our scent so those being disrupted would potentially change the way we smell. I know it might seem like a silly thing but it was something that I really missed and was sad about. It felt like I had lost something that was so very me. Having it back has actually been a really happy thing. I felt more like me. I felt sexier and more in touch with my cunt.

I am really happy with the HRT so far. I am 5 month in now and really pleased with how it is making me feel from big things like my mood being stable to little things like the sweet sexy smell of vulva. I have a few more posts planned around the subject and I am sure more will come up as I continue to travel down the menopause path but if you have any questions or anything you would like me to write more about please do let me know. I know when I was thinking about starting HRT and when I first started I reached out to someone on Twitter who was happy to share their experiences and it really helped me so if that is you and want someone to reach out to. I will be more than happy to hear from you.

You can read all the other posts I have written about the menopause and my HRT journey in the Menopause category.