Let's Talk About Sex

Jodie Molloy answers your most intimate questions

Q I have been looking at toys online, but I’m not sure what kind of measurements I should be looking at. I am assuming each vagina is a different size, but how can you tell?

●●Geek, Foxton

A I applaud your attention to detail, but you’ll be reassured to know that the average vagina is around 7-8cm deep. This figure was calculated by sex research duo Virginia E. Johnson and William H. Masters in their pioneering 1966 work Human Sexual Response.

However, when we are aroused, it can elongate to 11-12cm, almost doubling in size. When we get frisky, our vaginal canal does something called “tenting”, which is a combination of relaxation and dilation. Most toys available online can be accommodated by the human body – it’s really a question of size preference.