Learning Female Body Parts

In this section the main sexual and reproductive organs, genitals, of the female are illustrated and described. If you are a female, it should be easy to relate it to your own body. If you are a male, you will learn that men's and women's bodies are more alike than different. It's just that the differences are what we notice first and that they play an important role in other areas of our lives. See the table below, which lists a few of the organs that develop from the same tissue in a fetus, whether male or female. The sex of a fetus cannot be seen with a sonogram until sometime after the 6th week when hormones begin to be released. These hormones, or their absence, cause the development of the same genital tissue in females and males. Some women are very concerned about the size and shape of their breasts, but you can see from what's covered here, that breast size varies by the amount of fatty tissue not effectiveness. So, don't compare the size and shape, as part of the lesson here as that varies as much as the differences in ears, eyes and other body parts.

Homologous Sex Organs

(formed from the same fetal tissue)

Female Clitoris Hood of the clitoris Labia Minora Labia Majora Ovaries

Male Glans of the penis Foreskin of the penis Shaft of the penis Scrotal sac Testes

Vulva

External Female Genitals

The mons veneris is the fatty pad covering the pubic bone. It contains many nerves and is covered with pubic hair at puberty. The clitoral hood, or prepuce, is the joining of the hairless inner lips (labia minora) over the clitoris. The clitoral hood can accumulate smegma, a waxy substance,  which can be prevented by pulling back the hood when washing. The clitoris is a highly sensitive structure composed of a shaft and a glans. It contains small spongy structures which engorge with blood during sexual arousal. It's only function is pleasure. The vestibule is the area of the

vulva (external female genitals) inside the labia minora. The perineum is the smooth skin between the anus and the vaginal opening. The anus is the opening to the rectum. The labia majora, the outer lips of the vulva, are covered with pubic hair. The labia minora,  the inner lips which surround the vulva, contain extensive blood vessels and nerve endings. The urethral opening is used for passing urine. The introitus is the opening to the vagina. At birth the introitus may be covered with a membrane of tissue called the hymen.

Underlying Structures of the Vulva

The clitoris contains a shaft and a glans as well as the crura, which projects inward from each side of the shaft. The shaft, glans, and crura contain spongy tissue called cavernous bodies. The vestibular bulbs, now thought, by some, to be a part of the structure of the clitoris, are also filled with spongy tissue. The glans and shaft comprise only a small portion of the spongy, erectile tissue which becomes engorged with blood during sexual arousal. The function of these of these organs is solely to provide sexual arousal. The opening to the vagina in this illustration makes it appear as an open hole, but that is because the labia minora are held apart to illustrate the vaginal opening or introitus. The urethral opening is inside the labia  minora and lies between the introitus and the clitoral shaft and glans.

Internal Front View

The fallopian tubes are four inches long and extend from the uterus toward the ovaries. At the end of each tube are fringe-like projections called fimbriae that (after ovulation) draw the egg into the tube,  where fertilization takes place. The ovaries are female gonads that produce eggs (ova) and sex hormones. The cervix is the end of the uterus in the back of the vagina. The os is the opening in the cervix

through which sperm and menstrual fluid can pass.  The uterus is a pear shaped organ where a fetus can develop. The endometrium is the tissue that lines the interior wall of the uterus. The thin outside covering is the perimetrium. The smooth muscle layer of the wall is the myometrium. The vagina is a stretchable canal, about 4 inches long, that extends into the body and angles upward to the small of the back.

Cross-section: Female Reproductive and Sexual Organs

The uterus is suspended in the abdominal cavity by ligaments. It is behind the vagina and between the bladder and the rectum. It is about three inches long and two inches wide in a woman who hasn't been pregnant. When a fertile egg comes from the fallopian tube it embeds itself in the lining, the endometrium, of the uterus. If not, some of the lining exits as menstrual fluid about once a month. The ovaries are the size and shape of almonds. They contain from 40,000

to 400,000 immature eggs at birth and will release about 450 lifetime. The bladder is smaller than a man's, perhaps because of a possible pregnancy.  The clitoris swells during sexual arousal. The swelling occurs in the glans, the shaft and the crura of the clitoris, which spread out on each side of the vagina and connect to the pubic bone.  Vestibular bulbs, on each side of the vagina, also swell with blood during arousal and the Bartholin's glands secrete a few drops of fluid.

The Vagina

When the vagina is unaroused its walls form a flat tube. The vagina is potential space, not space, when closed. It expands during sexual arousal and expands much larger during childbirth. The folded walls of the vagina, the rugae, are moist and warm. When arousal occurs blood flows to the cavernous bodies in the clitoris and vestibular bulbs, and lubrication of the vaginal walls occurs.  The speculum is an instrument with two blades used to open the vaginal walls during a gynecological examination. The Pap smear is part of this exam. It's a test for cancer of the cervix by taking a sample of cells. There are few nerves at the back of the vagina, so this is not usually painful.

The Gräfenburg spot, also known as the G spot, is an area on the front wall of the vagina named for Ernest Gräfenburg who described it in 1950. Some women have observed this spot to be an area of erotic sensitivity when given manual stimulation.

Breast Cross-Section

Breast cancer strikes one in nine women in North America. Women need to learn how to examine their breasts every month and have screening tests. Check this web site for the information needed.  http://www.ama-assn.org/insight/h_focus/wom_hlth/brc.htm

Need to review these terms? Go to the flashcards.