Pettycoat Lane

Vaginas 101

Episode Summary

PART 1 How well do you know the internal genitals? When you say "vagina" are you talking about the vulva, the vaginal canal, the vaginal opening? Do you know the 5 different parts of the vulva? What is the difference between the labia minora and majora anyway? Find out this week as we learn all about it!

Episode Notes

The Vulva

• The vulva covers the entrance to the vagina. The vulva has five parts: mons pubis, labia, clitoris, urinary opening, and vaginal opening.
• The mons pubis is the mound of tissue and skin above your legs, in the middle. This area becomes covered with hair when you go through puberty.
• The labia are the two sets of skin folds (often called lips) on either side of the opening of the vagina.
• The labia majora are the outer lips, and the labia minora are the inner lips. It is normal for the labia to look different from each other.
• While many people think that the clitoris is a small spot just above the vaginal opening, it is, in fact, a much larger complex. The part most visible is the glans, which is 16 millimeters in length, on average. This is the part that most people will be familiar with.
• The glans is covered by the prepuce, which is a skin formed from the vaginal labia. Some people liken the prepuce to foreskin. Hidden inside the pubic bone is the rest of the clitoris, and the entire complex is similar in shape to the penis, with a total length of between 9 and 11 centimeters.
• The clitoris is an erectile organ and is thought to be at the heart of female sexual arousal.
• The urinary opening, below the clitoris, is where your urine (pee) leaves the body.
• Perineum- “This soft, sensitive territory lies between the vaginal opening and the anus and is sometimes quite short,” says Minkin. When relaxed, this area can facilitate birth.