The menstrual cycle usually begins in the early teens, between the ages of 11 and 15, although some girls begin earlier or later. The first menstrual bleeding is called menarche (MEH-nar-kee). The timing of menarche appears to be related to hered­ity, general health, and altitude (average menarche is earlier in lower altitudes) and occurs during […]

Menstruation (men-stroo-A-shun), the sloughing off of uterine lining that takes place if conception has not occurred, is a sign of normal physical functioning. Negative attitudes about it persist in contemporary American society; however, young women typically have more positive attitudes about menstruation than do women in older generations (Marvan et al., 2005). Attitudes About Menstruation […]

The two ovaries, which are about the size and shape of almonds, are at the ends of the fallopian tubes, one on each side of the uterus. They are connected to the pelvic wall and the uterus by ligaments. The ovaries are endocrine glands that produce three classes of sex hormones. The estrogens, as mentioned […]

Each of the two 4-inch fallopian (fuh-LOH-pee-un) tubes extends from the uterus toward an ovary, at the left or the right side of the pelvic cavity (see Figure 3.4). The outside end of each tube is shaped like a funnel, with fringelike projections called fim­briae (FIM-bree-eye) that hover over the ovary. When the egg leaves […]

The cervix (SER-viks), located at the back of the vagina, is the small end of the pear­shaped uterus (see Figure 3.4). The cervix contains mucus-secreting glands. Sperm pass through the vagina into the uterus through the os, the opening in the center of the cervix. A woman can see her own cervix if she learns […]

Both the vaginal walls and the cervix (discussed on p. 62) produce white or yellowish secretions. These secretions are normal and are a sign of vaginal health. They vary in appearance according to hormone level changes during the menstrual cycle. (Keeping Female Sexual Anatomy and Physiology Appealing daintineu ia aunrrd, be. rauve the very aource […]

So far in this chapter, we have described the parts of the female sexual anatomy, but we have said relatively little about how these structures function. Because lubrication is a unique feature of the vagina, the process is explained here. Other physiological aspects of female arousal will be discussed in Chapter 6. During sexual arousal, […]

The Grafenberg spot, better known as the G-spot, is an area within the anterior (or front) wall of the vagina, about 1 centimeter from the skin’s surface and one third to one half the distance from the vaginal opening to the back of the vagina. It consists of a system of glands (Skene’s glands) and […]

Internal female sexual anatomy consists of the vagina, cervix, uterus, and ovaries. These are discussed in the following sections. Refer to I Figure 3.4 for cross-section and front views of the female pelvis. Endometrium The Vagina The vagina is a canal that opens between the labia minora and extends into the body, angling upward toward […]

If the hair, skin, and fatty pads were removed from the vulva, several underlying struc­tures could be seen. If you look at Figure 3.2, which shows the structures underneath the labia and clitoris beneath the hood, you are looking at a complex of structures with erectile tissue that engorges with blood during sexual arousal, causing […]