If you can love your vagina, you can love any part of you - not just your belly, your butt, your boobs, and your thighs, but also that thing you did that led to your divorce, that way you treated your child, that betrayal of your own integrity, that episode of cheating on your taxes, that mistake you haven't recovered from, that tendency you have to drink too much, that failure to stay true to your dreams, that way you promise yourself you'll stop overeating even though you never do.

I know. I know. That belly can be hard to love. And those thighs. Those stretch marks. The saggy, deflated, balloon, post-breastfeeding boobs.  That wrinkle right between your eyebrows. That chicken neck. That ass.

And the other stuff - sheesh. That might seem impossible to love. Who would want to love mistakes, betrayal, cheating, and lack of willpower?

But the vagina. The vagina is the final frontier.

Ok. I won't (I'm anonymous, remember?), but 60 other women will show you pictures of their vulvas in the book I'll Show You Mine, by Wrenna Robertson and Katie Huisman.

FAQ’s About Painful Sex

What are some less serious, common causes of pain with sex?

If you’re trying to have intercourse when you’re not aroused, lack of lubrication can cause friction and lead to pain. Even if you are aroused, decreased lubrication caused by hormonal deficiencies (such as atrophic vaginitis, which can occur when estrogen levels are low after menopause or while breastfeeding) can lead to pain.

If you’ve read my book What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend, you know that I don’t stick to clinical words for our girly parts. In fact, you’ll pretty much see it all -- fuzzy lap flounder, fabulous furburger, cooch, twat, pussy -- it’s all in there.

I’ve been criticized for being a gynecologist who doesn’t always use clinical terms.  I’ve been labeled juvenile, anti-feminist, and anatomically incorrect.