The scrotum (SKROH-tum) is a loose, wrinkled pouch beneath the penis, covered with sparse pubic hair. The scrotum contains the testicles, each in a sac, separated by a thin layer of tissue. In the last chapter we discussed how a woman’s gonads (the ovaries) are located in her abdomen. This is different from the male […]

Ethnicity, Religion, and Circumcision —’ he practice of male circumcision has been the most commonly performed operation in the United States for over 40 years (Laumann et al., 2000). Nonreligious circumcision became popular in the 1870s be­cause it was thought to promote hygiene, reduce "unnatural" sexual behaviors (G. Kaplan, 1977), prevent syphilis and gon­orrhea, and […]

Most men are fairly familiar with their penis and scrotum. Boys learn to hold their penises while urinating, certainly notice them when they become erect, and generally talk more freely about their genitals among themselves than girls do. Yet the male re­productive system is a complex series of glands and ducts, and few men have […]

It is estimated there would be 22,220 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States in 2005 (American Cancer Society, 2005b). Though not as common as uterine or breast cancer, it is the most deadly of all gynecologic cancers; 61% of women die within 5 years of developing it. Ovarian cancer is more common […]

Question: Is it true that the United States has a really high rate for hysterectomy? Are some being done unnecessarily? The United States has one of the highest rates of hysterectomy in the world (Bren, 2001). In fact, today hysterectomy is the most common major gynecologic operation in the United States (Thakar et al., 2002). […]

It is estimated that 1 in 130 American women will develop cervical cancer (American Cancer Society, 2005b). In 2005, approximately 10,370 new cases of cervical cancer were expected in the United States. A Pap smear, taken during routine pelvic exams, can detect early changes in the cervical cells. A few cells are painlessly scraped from […]

Feminine Hygiene omen have been brainwashed into thinking that somehow their vaginas and vulvas are bad, dirty, or ugly. One trip down the feminine hygiene aisle will convince you. How do feminine hygiene products affect young women today? What is the impact on us as we age and develop into sexual beings? Do our negative […]

Cancer is a disease in which certain cells in the body don’t function properly—they di­vide too fast and/or produce excessive tissue that forms a tumor. There are a number of different cancers that can affect the female reproductive organs. In this section, we will look at breast, uterine, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. We will […]

Living With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome ollowing is an excerpt from a 23-year-old woman who was diagnosed with polycystic ovar­ian syndrome when she was 22. From the time I started puberty I knew something wasn’t right. I could have counted on my fingers and toes the number of times I’d had a period between the first […]

Uterine fibroids, or hard tissue masses in the uterus, affect from 20 to 40% of women 35 and older, and as many as 50% of African American women (Laval, 2002). Newer imag­ing techniques suggest that the prevalence of uterine fibroids may be as high as 77% (Stewart, 2001). Symptoms include pelvic pain and pressure, heavy […]