Will the postpartum vagina return to normal size?

The postpartum vagina will have a remarkable degree of dilatation depending on many different factors. Exercising your pelvic floor muscles can help restore your firmness.

Estrogen and relaxin are two hormones that play an important role in pregnancy and childbirth. Estrogen increases the amount of blood flowing to the vagina, making vaginal tissue more elastic. Relaxin helps muscles relax. In addition, it also helps ligament and pelvic joints loosen, creating space for the baby. Can the vagina return to normal after giving birth? The answer to this problem depends on the following factors.

1. Postpartum vaginal dilation

The vagina relaxes as you push. Not only the vagina, but the perineum (the area between the anus and genitals) will also dilate. How much stretchy the vagina is and whether you need an episiotomy will depend on many other factors as well.

2. Postpartum vaginal size depends on normal delivery or caesarean section

If you have a C-section, your vagina will be slightly dilated. How much vagina relaxes depends on how long the baby's head is pushed down stimulates opening of the cervix. If you have decided to have a normal birth, this expansion will increase.

3. Baby's size

Your baby's size is an important factor in determining how much stretching the birth canal and vagina are. The larger your baby's size, the more pressure will be placed on the uterus and vagina.

4. Genetics

Genetic factors also affect postpartum vaginal dilation. You may or may not.

5. Exercise the pelvic floor muscles

The exercise pelvic floor muscles play an important role in easing the muscles and ligaments of the pelvis. This makes it easier for the contraction of the baby and the dilation of the vagina. If you practice regularly, the vagina will loosen slowly to accommodate your baby. If not, loosening will happen quickly, possibly leading to damage to the perineum. Pelvic floor exercises also help improve the firmness of the muscles before giving birth.

6. Number of births

If you have had a baby before, your vagina is probably loosened. At this point, when you become pregnant again, the vagina will continue to loosen. Each vaginal birth will loosen a little more.

7. Tearing of the perineum

If the perineum doesn't tear even though you were giving birth through the vagina, the vaginal tissue is likely to loosen to its maximum extent.

Loosening of the vagina is very normal during childbirth. After the birth, the vaginal tissues will also return to their original position. Vaginal tissue is elastic, it can expand, it can also contract. However, loosening of the vagina can also last for a while, even though neither you nor your husband are aware of this. It will take a while for your vagina to return to normal, so be patient. You can promote this by doing regular pelvic floor exercises.

If you do pelvic floor exercises after giving birth, your vagina will return to normal more quickly. These exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. In the beginning, practice sparingly, but practice often. Exercise 2–3 times a day, for 2–3 minutes each, then increase to 5 minutes. You will get used to these exercises soon.

8. Other factors

During delivery time, doctors using medical devices such as clamps, vacuums during delivery ... are factors that affect vaginal dilation.