A big part of self care is taking care of our bodies and in order to take care of our bodies, we have to know our body.
Here’s a simple anatomy lesson of the vagina, vulva, uterus and ovaries.
The part of your genitals that are on the outside part of your body is called the vulva. We often refer to this area as the vagina but the vagina is actually just a part of the vulva. All vulvas look different. They vary in shape, size and color, but they are all made up of the same parts.
If we start with the area closest to the front of your body the first is the mons pubis. This is the fleshy area covering your pubic bone that is usually covered in pubic hair.
Next is the clitoral hood and then the clitoris. The tip of the clitoris (also called the glans) is covered by the clitoral hood. The clitoris also extends inside of your body about 5 inches through the vagina. The clitoris has thousands of nerve endings and the tip is the most sensitive part (it can feel really go for it to be touched).
Next in line is the urethra which is the small hole that you pee out of. That’s it. Not too exciting.
After that is the vaginal opening which is where your period blood comes out and where you put your tampon or menstrual cup in. It’s where babies come out and where a penis, fingers or sex toys might also go in. The vagina is very stretchy and expands when you feel turned on. The vaginal tube connects to the cervix and the uterus. It’s where the sperm travels through to fertilize the egg. The vaginal tube will get wider and longer when turned on.
Surrounding the urethra and vaginal opening are folds of skin called the inner and outer labia. The labia majora (outer labia) are usually fleshy and covered with pubic hair. The labia minora (inner labia) is inside the majora and begin at the clitoris and end under the opening to your vagina. The labia varies in size, shape and color. Some outer labia are larger than the inner and some inner labia is larger than the outer. Both the inner and outer labia are sensitive and will swell when you’re turned on.
The cervix divides the vagina and uterus and is shaped like a donut. It blocks other things from going up and getting lost inside of you (like a tampon) but it has a whole large enough for sperm to travel through so you can get pregnant. The cervix expands during childbirth.
After the cervix we come to the uterus which is about the size of a fist. It is a muscular organ and it is where the blood flows through into your vagina and out the vaginal opening. It is also where a fetus will grow during pregnancy.
Connected to the uterus are the fallopian tubes. The tubes carry eggs from your ovaries to your uterus. The sperm also travels through the fallopian tubes to fertilize the egg.
Your ovaries store the eggs as well as produce hormones including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. During puberty the ovaries release an egg (or sometimes more than one egg) each month. This is the start of your menstrual cycle and it continues until menopause.
We hope you enjoyed this little anatomy lesson. Our bodies are so cool and they do so much for us, it’s important to learn how they work! If you have more questions or anything to add, feel free to leave a comment!
Sources:
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=34&contentid=19522-1