Vagina
Human female internal reproductive anatomy The vagina (from the Latin for "sheath" or "scabbard" ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female mammals, or to the cloaca in female birds and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the oviduct. For the purposes of anatomy, a vagina can also be any structure that serves as a sheath (or theca), as in, the vagina of the portal vein. Another example is the fibrous sheath around tendons, called a vagina fibrosa when solid or a vagina mucosa when it contains a fluid-filled cavity around the tendon.
Human vagina
The vagina is an elastic muscular tube about 4 inches (100 mm) long and 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter that connects the vulva at the outside to the cervix of the uterus at the inside. If the woman stands upright, the vaginal tube points in an upward-backward direction and forms an angle of slightly more than 90 degrees with the uterus. The vaginal opening is at the back end of the vulva, behind the opening of the urethra. The inside of the vagina is usually pink, as with all internal mucous membranes in mammals. Schematic frontal view of female anatomy (In common speech, the term "vagina" is often used improperly to refer to the vulva or female genitals generally; strictly speaking the vagina is a specific internal structure and the vulva is the exterior genitalia only. Calling the vulva the vagina is akin to calling the mouth the throat.) The vagina can perform the following tasks:- Admit the penis of the male for sexual intercourse and ultimately the introduction of male gametes (sperm) for the fertilization of ova.
- Provide sexual pleasure to a woman (although vaginal orgasms are rarer than clitoral orgasms).
- During live birth, provide the route to deliver the fetus from the uterus to its independent life outside the body of the mother. During birth, the vagina is often referred to as the birth canal.
- Provide a path for menstrual fluids to leave the body.
- Some erotic performers, particularly in Asia, can use vaginal muscles for tricks, such as smoking or playing musical instruments.
See also
- vulvovaginal disorders
- vulvovaginal health
- skene's glands
- sexual slang