The only qualities that make a vagina “perfect” are good health and confidence. Here is an overview of what anatomy looks like for the female external genitalia. Know what your “normal” is so you will know when something is not normal or when a potential problem arises. She went on to say her boyfriend told her that her lips were “too big” compared to others he’d seen. When I asked her who the others were, it turned out, they were the women on the porn sites he visited....

“It is normal for some people to not feel good when they first wake up,” MacFarlane says. “They’re going to be zombies for 20 minutes whether they’ve slept 12 hours or 2 hours.” Waking up in the middle of deeper sleep stages like REM sleep or slow-wave sleep also seems to make sleep inertia worse. While sleep inertia only lasts for a few minutes for some people, others feel it for longer....

I was 48 and he was 41 when we married. We were very happy, although the topic of having children kept coming up and remained unresolved. He wasn’t sure he wanted kids, but I wasn’t getting any younger, with the approach of menopause starting to heat things up. Even though it may sound crazy at my age, I never lost hope that it would happen, in whatever form was meant for me—foster parenting, adoption, surrogacy....

For many years, my soul was trying to guide me, but I wasn’t paying attention. Even when my soul tried to communicate with big glaring WARNING signs or GO HERE billboards, I disregarded them. Thinking back to the year 2000, I have to laugh when I think about how my former husband and I stood in line for three hours at the courthouse to get our marriage certificate. And finally, when we were at the very front of the line, belly up to the courthouse clerk, there was a bomb threat....

And as a diligent skin care professional and devotee, I care for my skin as best I can. I want it to look luminescent and glowing now, and for many years to come. And (stay with me on this one) using skin-enhancing products and embracing how your skin ages aren’t competing concepts. You can appreciate the beautiful signs of maturing skin—and at the same time, use topicals that keep your complexion plump, firm, and lively....

So, while you probably have a general idea of what probiotics are and do, you might be a little hazy on things like the best natural sources of probiotics. Here’s what you need to know about these gut-boosting microorganisms and how to find them.* Probiotics are mostly bacteria, but they can also be from yeast, says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. They’re naturally occurring in certain foods, particularly fermented options....

Finding a pair of running shoes that suit your feet, offer the right amount of cushion, and help elevate your stride makes all the difference in your run (trust me, as a health and fitness editor, I’ve tried a lot of sneakers). “You want to take time to find the right fit, as the shoe can help prevent injuries and improve your performance,” running coach Emily Fayette, CPT, previously shared with mbg....