Female genitals

The vulva

• Vulva: name given to the external female genitalia. Not to be confused with the vagina, which is the cavity that connects the uterus to the outside and forms part of the internal genitalia.
• Pubis or mons pubis: rounded prominence of fatty tissue covering the pubic bone.
• Urinary meatus: opening of the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the outside and through which urine is expelled.
• Inner labia: folds of skin between the outer labia, forming part of the vulva and extending into the innermost part of the vulva. They used to be known as «labia minora», but the truth is that the labia vary greatly in size, colour and shape from one person to another and just because they are on the innermost part does not mean that they are smaller in size.
• Outer labia: folds that extend from the mons pubis to the perineum and also vary greatly in size, colour and shape from one person to another. They used to be known as the «labia majora» but this name is not correct as the fact that they are on the outermost part does not imply that they are larger.
• Vaginal orifice: opening that connects the vagina to the outside and through which menstruation is expelled and through which (sometimes) babies are born.
• Perineum: the area between the vaginal opening and the anus.
  Anus: the opening at the end of the digestive tract through which defecation takes place.
• Clitoral hood: soft, elastic skin that covers the glans of the clitoris and protects it from chafing.
• Glans of the clitoris: visible end of the clitoris, extremely innervated and sensitive.
• Paraurethral glands: also known as Skene’s glands or more recently as Anarc’s glands. These are two glands, located on either side of the opening of the vagina, through which female ejaculation takes place.
• Lubricating glands: also known as Bartholin’s glands or more recently as Lucy’s and Betsey’s glands. They are located on either side of the lower opening of the vagina and secrete a fluid that helps to lubricate the vagina.

¿Who were Anarcha, Lucy y Betsey?

Fuente: Ilustración del Dr. J. Marion Sims con Anarcha de Robert Thom. Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Pearson Museum.

Anarcha, Lucy and Betsey were African-American slaves who worked in the cotton fields of Alabama in the United States. In 1840, Dr. James Marion Sims, long considered the father of modern gynaecology, experimented on them to study their genital anatomy, subjecting them to surgery without anaesthesia, among other atrocities. According to the doctor’s memoirs, he tortured eleven other slave women, whose names are unknown.

Black and feminist activists are demanding that the names of the men who used women’s bodies to study their anatomy should no longer be present. That is why it has been proposed to replace the name of Skene’s Glands by Anarcha’s Glands and the name of Bartholin’s Glands by Lucy’s and Betsey’s Glands. Oh, and the Fallopian is not spared from this resignification either, because the tubes are already known as uterine tubes.

Do you know the clitoris?

The clitoris has been an unknown organ until very recently. It was in 2005 that Australian urologist Helen O’Connell studied and discovered the complete anatomy of the clitoris, the female organ whose function is entirely to provide pleasure. The results of her study «Anatomy of the clitoris» (O’Connell et al., 2005) showed that typical textbook descriptions of the clitoris did not provide detailed information about this organ and also included inconsistencies. Helen O’Connell found that the entire clitoris, made up of highly sensitive erectile tissue, is the key to female sexual function and orgasm. Moreover, there are great similarities between the structure of the clitoris and the structure of the penis. This is not only interesting, but also highlights how scientific progress, conditioned by androcentrism and discrimination against the female gender, has completely neglected the study of this organ.

The clitoris has the following characteristics:

• It is made of erectile tissue
• It is highly sensitive to stimulation
• It has more than 8,000 nerve endings, four times more than the penis.
• Its sole function is to provide pleasure
• Each one is different
• Measures between 8 and 12 centimetres
• Grows with the development of the body