The female body is capable of all manner of wonders, from live birth and multiple orgasms to menstruation, regeneration, heroic pain tolerance, and the ability to destroy men in this TikTok challenge.
But whether you are a woman or just love them, you probably don’t know about these five strange complexities and capabilities of the feminine form.
Uteruses can taste bad sperm. Yes, taste.
Sensing funky spunk?
Type 2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs), which are known for their ability to perceive bitterness, have been found in the fallopian tubes and the uterus.
Experts believe these receptors help the body “sense” the chemical environment and may help detect the quality of sperm or sense “bitter” bacterial toxins, triggering an immune response to keep the area sterile.
The brain shrinks during pregnancy.
In pregnant women, a process called synaptic pruning reduces gray matter in brain areas associated with social cognition.
This “shrinking” effect strengthens the neural pathways responsible for detecting threats and understanding a baby’s needs.
With the exception of the default mode network, which activates when a person’s mind wanders and is key to self-reflection, all other brain circuits typically return to their pre-pregnancy state postpartum.
Research shows that women who deliver vaginally or who had emergency C-sections take longer to “recover” from gray matter declines than those who had a scheduled C-section.
Hearts get bigger during pregnancy.
The fairer sex has more heart — when they’re expecting.
During pregnancy, women experience a substantial increase in heart size and up to a 50% increase in blood volume.
This uptick in the ticker guarantees the developing fetus has access to adequate oxygen and nutrients.
After giving birth, the heart typically returns to normal size and function. However, some women experience peri-partum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), an enlargement of the left ventricle that reduces heart pumping capacity and can cause sudden cardiac death if left untreated.
The vagina is as acidic as a tomato.
A healthy vagina has a pH range of 3.8 to 4.5, with lower values indicating greater acidity. Experts say the sweet spot for vaginal health is around 4, the same acidity as wine or tomato juice.
Experts note that when the pH is acidic, around 3.5, yeast flourishes, whereas when it rises to alkaline levels at 4.5 or 5, the bacteria that cause bacterial vaginosis (BV) thrive.
So it’s best to keep your vag like vino.
Women can give birth after death.
Known as “coffin birth” or postmortem fetal extrusion, a pregnant female corpse can build up enough gas to expel the fetus after death.
Coffin birth usually occurs within 48-72 hours after the death of a pregnant woman as the body swells and abdominal gases accumulate, which can occasionally put enough pressure on the uterus that the fetus is pushed through the vaginal opening.
While coined a type of “birth,” the fetus is typically dead when the process transpires.
Coffin birth is extremely rare, particularly in today’s age, as medical professionals typically perform a post-mortem cesarean on female corpses while embalming and cremation practices further reduce the likelihood.
