Women have long been celebrated for being dynamic, complex creatures physically, mentally and emotionally. In fact, there are quite a few things about women’s health in particular that you’ve probably never learned.

You’re about to learn them right now.

Here are 10 surprising facts about women and health that are sure to surprise you.

Let’s get started!

1. Women and Health: Sharks and Vaginas Both Feature Squalene

A woman’s vaginal lubricant is filled with ketones, complex alcohols, lactic and acetic acids, urea, exfoliated cells, cervical mucus, sebum, and sweat. But it also contains squalene.

Never heard of it? Don’t worry — you’re not the only one.

Squalene is an organic compound that is present in a shark’s liver. In fact, the squalene obtained from a shark’s liver oil can be added to skin creams and moisturizers to serve as an emollient.

2. Men Generally Look Older Than Women Do

If you look at photos of men and women, you’ll likely notice that men oftentimes look older than women do.

The reality is that women’s skin loses collagen a lot faster than men’s skin does. However, the skin of men is thicker and therefore more prone to showing age spots and facial lines.

Also, men’s skin undergoes a lot of trauma due to shaving coupled with the use of chemicals such as astringent and aftershave. Plus, testosterone has a tendency to make a man’s complexion look oily and slick.

All of this causes women to look much younger than men do as a general rule of thumb.

3. Pubic Hairs Do Not Have Long Lives

If you’re a woman, we’ve got a quick question for you: Ever thought about braiding your pubic region’s hairs?

Whether you have or haven’t, save yourself the trouble by not attempting it.

Your pubic hair has a tendency to fall out once it’s been growing for three weeks. That’s a short time considering that your head’s hair can grow for as long as seven years.

The positive of this is that your hair likely will not get tangled down there. One less thing to worry about. #winning

4. Women Tend to Be Better Smellers

Women can usually detect scents much better than men can.

In fact, research shows that women who are of childbearing age possess the stunning ability to detect a familiar odor at an extremely low level. This likely is due to women’s hormones.

Researchers have also found that women can identify when people — particularly their partners — are stressed out simply by sniffing their shirts. #thenoseknows

5. Pain Is Nothing to Play with for Women

Researchers recently learned that when men and women are struggling with the same medical conditions — for example, an infectious disease, a back problem or cancer — women are much more likely to admit that they are suffering.

Here’s why.

Females usually feel pain much more intensely than males do. This is because large amounts of estrogen may trigger the painkiller system that naturally exists in a woman’s brain. This essentially dampens a woman’s “ouch” signals.

However, if you’re a woman and your estrogen levels plummet after you’ve given birth or during specific parts of your menstrual cycle, this throws off your painkiller system. As a result, your physical response to the problem ailing you at a given time will be more intense than a man’s would be.

6. A Woman’s Private Parts Look Like Mountains

If you’re a woman, did you know that the topography of your private area mirrors that of the Blue Ridge Mountains?

No kidding.

Estrogen causes your vaginal tissue to thicken and buckle a little, thus forming small folds known as rugae.

As a result, your surface area increases for lubrication and secretions. In addition, your vagina can stretch more easily during childbirth and intercourse.

However, if you are breastfeeding or you’re experiencing menopause, your estrogen levels drop. The same is true if you’ve gotten pregnant and given birth to a child.

As a result, your vaginal tissue becomes drier and thinner, and the ridges in your private area flatten out.

This is a major reason why sex might be uncomfortable for you during these particular life stages. Fortunately, topical estrogen and lubricants can be a big help.

7. A Woman Hears with Her Entire Brain

As a woman, you use both of your brain’s hemispheres to listen to something. Men, on the other hand, mostly use just their brains’ left sides.

The left part of your brain is usually associated with speech and listening. Meanwhile, your brain’s right side is linked to expressiveness and creativity.

Perhaps this is why women are often said to “hear” what remains unsaid during a conversation.

8. You Have a Ton of Guts

Women’s digestive plumbing is the same as men’s, as both genders have a colon, gallbladder, liver, and stomach. However, the bottom part of a woman’s colon — known as the sigmoid — is usually longer than a mans is.

Of course, women have numerous reproductive organs in their lower bodies as well. That means a woman has a lot more crammed into a smaller space than a man does. It’s no wonder why women are therefore more likely to feel distressed in their midsections when excess gas or food is bothering them.

9. Women Can’t Handle Alcohol As Well

Women don’t produce as much of the enzyme in the stomach that breaks down ethyl alcohol compared with men.

As a result, women may have higher levels of alcohol in their blood than men do even if both consume the same amounts at a given time.

10. Women Are Made to Weep

The tear glands of a woman are different from men’s at an anatomical level. Specifically, some researchers say they are bigger.

That’s one reason why women cry more easily than men do — whether they’re crying over a stressful day or over a sweet gift. Another reason? Women have more prolactin, a hormone that helps with producing tears than men do.

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