A variable-sized fibro-muscular tube, open at its lower end, which communicates at its upper end with the cavity of the uterus. At its lower end the vagina opens into the vestibule or pudendal cleft between the labia minora. In virgins this opening is partly closed by a thin crescent-fold (the hymen). In the human female the vagina is directed upwards and backwards making an angle of 90° with the axis of the cervix.
In common speech, the term "vagina" is often used inaccurately to refer to the vulva or female genitals generally;
Anatomy
The human vagina is an elastic muscular tube projecting inside a female. The vagina, along with the inside of the vulva, is reddish pink in color, as with most healthy internal mucous membranes in mammals.
Length, width and shape of the vagina may vary. When a woman gives birth and during sexual intercourse, the vagina temporarily widens and lengthens.
Vaginal lubrication is provided by the Bartholin's glands near the vaginal opening and the cervix and also seeps through the vaginal wall (which does not contain any glands).
The hymen (a membrane situated at the opening of the vagina) partially covers it in many organisms, including many human females, from birth until it is ruptured by sexual intercourse, or by any number of other activities including medical examinations, injury, certain types of exercise, introduction of a foreign object, etc.
Functions of the vagina
From a biological perspective, the vagina performs the following functions:
Providing a path for menstrual fluids to leave the body. Sexual activity Giving birthMenstruation
The vagina provides a path for menstrual fluids to leave the body.
Sexual activity
The concentration of the nerve endings that lie particularly close to the entrance of a woman's vagina can provide pleasurable sensation during sexual activity, when stimulated in a way that the particular woman enjoys. This activity may include heterosexual intercourse, during which a male partner's penis is placed within the vagina.
Giving birth
During live birth, the vagina provides the route to deliver the fetus from the uterus to its independent life outside the body of the mother.
Sexual health and hygiene
The vagina itself is a self-cleaning organ and needs no particular treatment in the name of basic hygiene.
The vagina is examined during gynecological exams, often using an instrument called a speculum, which keeps the vagina open for visual inspection of the cervix or taking of samples (see pap smear).
Various disorders can affect the vagina, including vaginal cancer and yeast infections.
The vagina and popular culture
Western society treats the subject as somewhat taboo. A one-person play by Eve Ensler known as The Vagina Monologues is a rare example of the word appearing in mainstream culture.
Additional images
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Uterus and uterine tubes |
Uterus and right broad ligament, seen from behind. |
Sagittal section of the lower part of a female trunk, right segment. |
Posterior half of uterus and upper part of vagina. |
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