The Vulva is regenerative (and hormone dependent)
One of Dr.’s favorite facts Uloko to share is that the vulva has a remarkable regenerative capacity. Contrary to popular belief, vulvar aging and deterioration are not inevitable.
The vulva is:
Very hormone dependent
Dynamic and responsive to life stages
Affected by menstrual cycles
Affected by pregnancy, menopause, stress and illness
With every hormonal shift, the vulva changes. But change does not automatically mean decline.
According to Dr. Uloko, optimal vulvar health is possible at any age – if we know how to assess and treat it properly.
Poor vulvar health has serious consequences
The consequences of poor vulvar health are often misdiagnosed or misunderstood.
Dr. Uloko explains that unhealthy vulvar tissue can lead to:
Many patients with recurring urinary tract infections assume that the problem stems from:
The bladder
The kidneys
The ureters
But emerging research – including new findings from Dr. Uloko – shows a direct connection between vulvar health and bladder health.
In many cases the cause is not in the urinary system at all. It is affected vulvar tissue.
This is a crucial clinical insight, one that sexuality professionals have trained through Sexuality counselor certification program must understand. When healthcare providers do not properly examine the vulva, patients suffer unnecessarily.
The Vulva and Recurrent UTIs: What the Research Shows
Dr. Uloko describes how many of her patients arrive with debilitating, recurring urinary tract infections, often after sex. They have been treated repeatedly with antibiotics. They underwent imaging. They have seen several specialists.
And yet no one has thoroughly examined their vulva.
Once the vulva is assessed, a pattern often emerges:
Hormonal insufficiency
Thinning of the tissue
Early disease changes
Inflammation
The solution? In many cases:
These interventions can restore tissue health and stop infections completely.
Dr. Uloko emphasizes that we already have the medicine. We already have the science. What we’re missing is widespread education and advocacy.
Research equals advocacy
Dr. Uloko is known for her groundbreaking research on clitoral nerves, regenerative ED treatments, and vulvar health. Her work has changed the way we understand female sexual anatomy and sexual medicine more broadly.
But she is also an ardent supporter.
For her, research is not abstract; it is protective.
When doctors are trained:
They recognize diseases earlier
They reduce unnecessary suffering
They prevent chronic complications
They empower patients
This is why advanced professional paths, such as earning a Sexuality counselor certification– are essential. Counselors trained in sexual health must understand that vulvar problems are not cosmetic, trivial or secondary. They are fundamental to well-being.
The culture of vulvar shame
In addition to clinical science, Dr. Uloko focuses on something that goes even deeper: shame.
She tells a personal story about how as a child she was told that the female genitalia were a ‘shameful secret’. That message, she explains, is a generational trauma.
And she sees it every day in her practice.
When examining patients with vulvas, she observes an almost universal pattern:
They apologize for their bodies
They express their shame
They feel exposed and ashamed
Patients with penises, on the other hand, rarely apologize during exams.
This is not a biological difference. It’s cultural conditioning.
Shame affects health outcomes. When people are ashamed of their anatomy:
They postpone care
They avoid exams
They minimize the symptoms
They normalize pain
Breaking this cycle requires both medical expertise and therapeutic skills.
Professionals trained through a Sexuality counselor certification program are uniquely positioned to challenge shame, normalize anatomy, and provide affirming education.
Teaching the next generation differently
When asked what parents should teach their daughters, Dr. Uloko simple but profound:
Teach them not to be ashamed of their bodies.
That means:
Using correct anatomical language
Normalizing menstruation
Explain hormonal changes
Encourage body literacy
Rejecting secrecy
Body shame is not protective. Education does.
When young people learn early that their anatomy is normal, dynamic, and worthy of care, they are much more likely to seek treatment when needed and advocate for themselves later in life.
Why this is important for sexuality professionals
For sex therapists, counselors, and educators, this interview underscores the importance of medical literacy within sexual health work.
A strong one Sexuality counselor certification program should prepare professionals for:
Understand the hormonal basis of vulvar changes
Recognize signs of tissue dysfunction
Refer appropriately to sexual medicine specialists
Tackling generational shame
Providing trauma-informed care
Integrate somatic awareness into conversations about sexual health
Sexual health isn’t just about desire and relationships, it’s about anatomy, tissue integrity, hormone balance and prevention.
Without this knowledge, we risk overlooking the conditions that cause suffering.
Vulva Health Summary
Dr. Maria Uloko explains that the vulva has regenerative capacity and can remain healthy from 20 to 100 years with proper hormonal support and care. Poor vulvar health is directly linked to recurrent urinary tract infections and bladder problems, yet it is often misdiagnosed. Effective and affordable treatments exist, but stigma and lack of education stand in the way of proper care. Dr. Uloko emphasizes that generational shame around female genitalia contributes to delayed treatment and poor health outcomes. Sexual health professionals, especially those pursuing certification as sexuality counselors, must understand vulvar anatomy, hormonal influence, and the impact of cultural shame in order to provide comprehensive care.
Last takeaway
You can have the same vulva at 20 by 100.
Not because aging does not occur, but because tissue health is adaptable. Because hormones matter. Because science works.
And because when we replace shame with education, we give people their lives back.
For professionals looking for deeper competence in this area, a Sexuality counselor certification is not just an ID; it is a commitment to advocacy, literacy, and breaking cycles of silence.
Sexual health is anatomy.
Sexual health is science.
And sexual health is freedom from shame.
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