The vaginal opening is a small, soft opening located between the urethral opening (where urine comes out) and the perineum (the skin between the genitals and anus). At rest, it measures roughly 1 inch across, though it stretches significantly during arousal, tampon use, and childbirth. Its appearance varies widely from person to person, and it changes throughout your life depending on age, hormonal shifts, and whether you’ve given birth.
Where to Find It
The vaginal opening sits within a broader area called the vulva, which includes everything visible on the outside. If you’re looking with a mirror, here’s the layout from top to bottom: the clitoris and its hood sit at the top, where the inner lips (labia minora) meet. Below that is the tiny urethral opening. Below that is the vaginal opening, and further down is the perineum leading to the anus.
The area immediately surrounding the vaginal and urethral openings is called the vestibule. It’s a mucosal surface, meaning the tissue here looks and feels different from regular skin. It’s smoother, slightly moist, and often a different shade than the surrounding skin. To see your vaginal opening clearly, you can use your index and middle fingers to gently spread the labia apart.
Color, Shape, and Texture
There is no single “normal” color. The vulva and vaginal opening can be pink, tan, dark brown, red, burgundy, or wine-colored. The color often differs from the rest of your skin, and the two sides don’t always match. Blood flow plays a role too: during arousal, increased circulation can give the area a deeper, purplish tone.
The shape of the opening itself varies. In some people it looks like a narrow slit, in others more of a small oval or rounded opening. The inner walls of the vagina are lined with a series of ridges called rugae, and depending on how prominent they are, you may be able to see some textured, folded tissue just inside the opening. These folds give the vaginal walls grip and stretchiness.
The labia minora, the inner lips that frame the opening, come in a huge range of sizes, shapes, and symmetries. One side is often longer than the other, and they may extend past the outer lips or tuck completely inside them. All of these variations are normal.
The Hymen and How It Affects Appearance
The hymen is a thin membrane that partially surrounds or covers the vaginal opening. It’s not a flat seal stretched across the entrance. In most people, it’s a ring or crescent of tissue around the edges of the opening, and its shape directly affects what the opening looks like.
The most common configuration is an annular (ring-shaped) hymen with a central opening. But several variations exist:
- Septate hymen: A band of extra tissue runs across the middle, creating two smaller openings instead of one. Periods can still flow out, but tampon use may be difficult.
- Cribriform hymen: The membrane has several very small holes rather than one opening, giving it a sieve-like appearance.
- Microperforate hymen: A very small single opening exists. Menstrual blood can get through, but tampons and intercourse may be difficult or impossible without treatment.
- Imperforate hymen: The membrane completely covers the opening with no visible hole at all. This blocks menstrual flow and requires a minor procedure to correct.
Over time, through physical activity, tampon use, or intercourse, the hymen thins and wears away. In adults, it’s often barely noticeable or appears as small, irregular remnants of tissue around the edges of the opening.
How It Changes During Arousal
Sexual arousal causes visible changes to the entire vulvar area. Blood pools in the tissue, causing the vaginal walls to swell and produce a clear, slippery lubrication that seeps out through the opening. The outer lips (labia majora) spread apart and flatten, exposing more of the inner structures. The inner lips swell to roughly two to three times their resting thickness, which pushes them outward and causes the vaginal opening to widen.
Color shifts during arousal too. In people who haven’t given birth, the inner lips typically flush from pink to red. In those who have given birth, the color change tends to go from red to a deeper, darker red.
Changes After Childbirth
Vaginal delivery reshapes the opening, sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently. In the weeks after birth, swelling, redness, and bruising around the opening are common, especially if tearing occurred. You may also notice the vagina looks or feels “heavier,” and the labia may change in size or color.
Vaginal dryness is another common postpartum change, particularly during breastfeeding when estrogen levels remain low. Over time, the tissue heals and tightens, but many people find that their anatomy settles into a somewhat different baseline than before. The opening may appear wider, the tissue around it softer, and the hymen is typically reduced to small, rounded remnants.
Changes During Menopause
Declining estrogen levels after menopause cause a condition called vaginal atrophy. The tissue lining the vaginal walls becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic. The ridged folds (rugae) that give the vagina its textured appearance gradually smooth out and diminish. The area may look pale, sometimes with a whitish discoloration, or appear red and inflamed.
These changes happen gradually over years and can make the opening appear narrower or feel tighter. Dryness at the opening becomes more noticeable, and the tissue may look more fragile than it once did.
What Discharge at the Opening Looks Like
It’s normal to see some discharge at or near the vaginal opening, and its appearance shifts throughout your menstrual cycle. In the days right after your period, there’s usually little discharge, and what’s there tends to be thicker. As you approach ovulation, rising estrogen produces more discharge that’s clear, stretchy, and slippery, similar in consistency to raw egg whites. After ovulation, it thickens again. Throughout all these phases, healthy discharge is typically clear, white, or creamy with no strong odor.
Discharge that turns yellow, green, or gray, has a strong or fishy smell, or comes with itching and irritation may signal an infection. A cottage cheese-like texture is a classic sign of a yeast infection, while thin, grayish discharge with a noticeable odor often points to bacterial vaginosis.
How to Do a Self-Exam
Looking at your own anatomy is straightforward. Sit or recline in a comfortable, well-lit spot and hold a mirror between your legs. Use two fingers to gently part the labia so you can see the vestibule, the smooth mucosal area where both the urethral and vaginal openings sit. The vaginal opening is the larger of the two and sits lower.
Getting familiar with your own normal appearance makes it easier to notice changes over time. Look for the general color of the tissue, any asymmetry in the labia (which is almost always normal), and the condition of the skin. Periodic self-exams help you spot new bumps, sores, unusual discoloration, or changes in discharge early, when they’re easiest to address.