What are the statistics of maximum aroused vaginal depth in adult women, including standard deviation, average, median, and mode?
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Executive summary
Published anatomical research and mainstream summaries converge on a similar picture: an unstimulated resting vaginal length commonly reported around 6–8 cm and an aroused, elongated vaginal canal often averaging roughly 9–11 cm with observed ranges from about 5 cm up to ~13 cm, but the peer‑reviewed literature provided does not publish a clear, robust standard deviation, median or mode specifically for “maximum aroused vaginal depth” across a large representative sample [1] [2] [3].
1. What the question is really asking: “maximum aroused vaginal depth” as a measurable variable
The user requests point estimates and dispersion statistics (average, standard deviation, median, mode) for the maximum depth the vaginal canal reaches during sexual arousal, a physiological state that studies measure differently (speculum, MRI, castings), so any synthesis must account for method, sample size and definitions of “maximum” versus routine aroused length [2] [4] [1].
2. What published studies and summaries actually report about average and range
Classic laboratory work cited in reviews shows a marked increase in length from unstimulated to aroused states—Masters and Johnson participants were reported to have unstimulated depths of about 7–8 cm and aroused depths around 11–12 cm (≈4.3–4.7 in) with clear inter‑individual variation [2]; combined MRI data from clinical trials give a mean baseline (unstimulated) cervix‑to‑introitus length of 62.7 mm (6.27 cm) in women of reproductive age [1]; broader consumer and clinical summaries commonly report average aroused depths in the ~9–10 cm (≈3.8–3.9 in) range and typical ranges of roughly 5–13 cm (2–5 in to 5–13 cm) depending on the source and measurement method [5] [3].
3. Why reported numbers vary: measurement methods, samples, and definitions
Different techniques yield different numbers—speculum measurements in early lab studies, vinyl castings and surface area analysis in surgical research, and MRI in imaging studies each capture different aspects of canal length and shape, and small sample sizes or selective populations (e.g., reproductive‑age women, few older participants) bias summaries; the MRI study cited used 28 women for baseline scans and the multi‑subject vaginal shape analysis used 80 women with limited older participants, underscoring heterogeneity in samples [1] [4] [2].
4. The statistical gap: no reliable published SD, median or mode for maximum aroused depth in the provided sources
Among the provided reporting, mean or typical ranges are given, but explicit dispersion statistics for “maximum aroused vaginal depth”—a clearly defined maximal measurement during sexual arousal—are not available: the MRI baseline paper reports mean length (62.7 mm) and sitewise widths but does not present a standard deviation for a populationwide aroused‑maximum measure in the snippets provided, and the classic Masters and Johnson figures are descriptive ranges rather than modern population statistics with SD, median or mode presented here [1] [2] [4]; therefore it is not possible from these sources to state a defensible SD, median or modal value for maximum aroused depth.
5. Interpreting what is available: best practical summary and caveats
Synthesis of the cited work supports stating that typical aroused vaginal length commonly cited in the literature and reliable summaries falls roughly between 9 and 11 cm (≈3.5–4.5 in) with documented individual extremes near 5 cm at the low end up to roughly 12–13 cm at the high end, but any precise statement about standard deviation, median or mode would require access to raw datasets or full published tables (not present in the supplied snippets) because measurement method, sample selection and the operational definition of “maximum” materially change those statistics [2] [3] [5] [1].
6. Why this matters and where to look next
Clinically and practically the key points are that the vagina is elastic and elongates with arousal (the “tenting” effect), that variation is normal, and that sexual comfort depends more on neural and muscular factors than absolute canal length; researchers or clinicians seeking exact dispersion metrics should consult full peer‑reviewed articles that report raw means ± SD and median/mode by measurement method (for example the MRI and casting studies and original Masters & Johnson reports cited in reviews), because consumer summaries and single small studies can oversimplify or selectively report averages without full statistical detail [2] [4] [1] [3].