Female Genital Self-Examination
genital self-examination can teach a woman about her body and make her more comfortable with her genitals. Many female health problems can be identified when changes are detected in the internal or external sexual organs; therefore, selfexamination has an important health function as well.
Begin by examining the outside of your genitals; using a hand mirror can help. Using your fingers to spread open the labia majora, try to identify the other external structures—the labia minora, the prepuce, the in — troitus (opening) of the vagina, and the urethral opening. Look at the way your genitals look while sitting, lying down, standing up, squatting. Feel the different textures of each part of the vagina, and look carefully at the coloration and size of the tissues you can see. Both coloration and size can change with sexual arousal, but such changes are temporary, and the genitals should return to normal within a couple of hours after sexual activity Any changes over time in color, firmness, or shape of the genitals should be brought to the attention of a health professional.
If it is not uncomfortable, you may want to move back the prepuce, or hood, over the clitoris and try to see the cli-
toral glans. Though the clitoris is easier to see when erect, note how it fits beneath the prepuce. Note also if there is any whitish material beneath the prepuce; fluids can accumulate and solidify there, and so you should gently clean beneath the prepuce regularly.
If you place a finger inside your vagina, you should be able to feel the pubic bone in the front inside part of your vagina. It is slightly behind the pubic bone that the G-spot is
supposed to be, but it is hard for most women to stimulate the G-spot with their own fingers. Squat and press down with your stomach muscles as you push your fingers deeply in the vagina, and at the top of the vagina you may be able to feel your cervix, which feels a little like the tip of your nose. Note how it feels to touch the cervix (some women have a slightly uncomfortable feeling when their cervix is touched). Feeling comfortable inserting your fingers into your vagina will also help you if you choose a barrier method of birth control, such as the contraceptive sponge or cervical cap, all of which must be inserted deep within the vagina at the cervix (see Chapter 13).
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