External Genitals in Female I

The anatomical name for the area of the external genitalia in the female is the vulva. It is made up of several structures which surround the entrance to the vagina, and each of which has its own separate function.



Picture of Femal Vulva

The labia majora(large lips of the vagina) are two large folds of skin which contain sweat glands and hair follicles embeded in fat. The size of the labia majora varies considerably. In infancy and in old age they are small, and the fat is not present; in the reproductive years, between puberty and the menopause, they are well filled with fatty tissue.

In front, they join together in the pad of fat which surmounts the pelvic bone, and which as called the mount of Venus (mons veneris ) by the ancient anatomists. Both the labia and more particularly the mons veneris, are covered with hair, the quantity of which varies from woman to woman. The public hair on the abdominal side of the mons veneris terminates in a straight line. The inner surfaces of the labia majora are free from hair, and are separated by a small groove from the thin labia minora, which guard the entrance to the vagina.


Pictures of various vulva shape

The labia minora (small lips) are delicate folds of skin which contain little fatty tissue. They vary in size and it was once believed that large labia minora were due to masturbation, which at that time was considered evil. It is now known that this is nonsense. In front, the labia minora split into two folds, one of which passes over and the other under the clitoris, and at the back they join to form the fourchette, which is always torn during childbirth. In the reproductive years, the labia minora are hidden by the enlarged labia majora, but in childhood and old age the labia minora appear more prominent because the labia majora are relatively small.


Picture of various vulva types

The clitoris is the exact female equivalent of the male penis. The fold of the labia minora which passes over it is equivalent ot the male foreskin (prepuce). It called the "hood" and it covers and protects the sensitive end( glands ) of the clitoris. The clitoris is made up of tissue which fills with blood during sexual excitement. The end of the clitoris is often very sensitive to touch, but the area along the shaft of the clitoris, if stimulated, produces sexual arousal in the same way that a man is sexually aroused when the shaft of his penis is stimulated.


Picture of clitoris

The cleft below the clitoris and between the labia minora is called the vestibule (entrance ). Just below the clitoris is the external opening of that part of the urinary tract (urethra ) which connects the bladder to the outside world. In old women the urethral ofrifice may stretch and the lining of the lower part of the urethra may be exposed.