If you can not tell apart the urethra from the clitoris, you are not alone. A survey of patients in a hospital waiting room showed half could not point out the urethra, and just under half mislabelled the clitoris, while 46 % knew there were three “holes” down there [1]. Being able to label the anatomy of the vulva empowers us to express needs not just during sex but with medical professionals too. It is about time we all demystify the vulva, which is not all that mystifying after all.
Before we explore each part in more detail, it is important to clarify the difference between the vulva and the vagina. Often the vagina and vulva are mixed up in conversation. The vulva is your external area, which includes the labia. While the vagina is the internal area, a muscular tube that connects the external parts to the internal parts-connecting the vulva to the uterus. If you part your labia, you will begin to reveal the vagina, but you cannot see the vagina externally.
So let us explore the external landscape of the vulva:
Mons Pubis
The mound at the top where pubic hair waves back and forth in the summer breeze (pre-waxing or shaving, if that is your thing) is your mons pubis.
Clitoris
The clitoris has been ignored in society for far too long. It was in 1998 when a urologist, Helen O’Connell, first shared the whole internal structure of the clitoris. This organ packed with ten thousand nerve endings (double that of a penis) has been wholly ignored in science. The penis and the clitoris develop from the same tissue in utero. This is why both engorge with blood when aroused. It comprises external glans, hood, internal body, root, crura, and bulbs; its overall size is 9-11 cm. The glans clitoris is just the tip of the iceberg.
Labia
Labia is latin for ‘lips’. Everyone’s labia are different; no one has symmetrical labia. The outer skin folds extend from the mons pubis and are called the labia majora. Your outer lips are plumper because they are there to cushion and protect. They also have hair follicles. The labia majora has many sensory nerve endings, too, so it is imperative to include the labia during sexual experiences before diving anywhere near the vagina. The inner labia, called the labia minora, don’t have fatty tissue and are much thinner than the labia majora. These begin at the clitoral hood and flow below the vagina. The colour of your inner lips varies from dark brown to pink. They can be super smooth or wrinkled. Sometimes you may also see raised dots as oil glands are here; this is normal. For most, the labia minora are obvious and extend past the labia majora; for others, they are hardly visible. The inner labia are sensitive due to their blood supply, they swell when there is arousal.
Perineum
This is the area between the vaginal opening and the anus. This is the area closest to the ground when sitting.
Vulvar Vestibule
When spreading the inner labia apart, you will see the vestibule, which extends from Hart’s line to the opening of the hymen. It is the bit between the labia, the vaginal opening and the urethral opening. See it as the landscape, the no-man’s-land, that wraps around the two holes. It is important to note because opening into the vulvar vestibule is the major and minor glands. These major glands are called Bartholin’s glands. They open into the vestibule and open, if you picture a clock, at 4 and 8. Sometimes these glands can develop into cysts and cause pain, so having at least heard of them is essential.
Another significant point to note is that the Skene’s glands in your vaginal wall that extend out on either side of the urethra make up around one-third of the fluid you produce when aroused. When people squirt, this is where the squirt originated from. The penis has an equivalent, the Cowper’s glands, which release pre-ejaculate. You may have felt this during sex. Initially, the vestibule came from the urinary system, not the vagina or the outer parts of the vulva. Many kinds of sexual and vulva pain can originate from the vulvar vestibule.
Hart’s line
Hart’s line marks the outer edge of the vulvar vestibule.
Urethra
The number of holes continues to confuse many. The urethral opening is the tiny hole where the pee flows from. This is just below your clitoris. While the vaginal opening (another hole) is directly underneath your urethral opening. The urethra tube carries urine from the bladder to the outside of your body. Finally, there’s a third hole, the anus.
Vagina
The vagina stretches from the hymen to the cervix (the mouth of the uterus). Vaginal walls often touch unless we insert something. It has few nerve endings. The walls of the vagina are made of muscle and covered with a mucus membrane. It is super-stretchy because it is covered in ridges called rugae, like pleats of extra tissue that allow the vagina to expand. The vagina will feel drier or wetter depending on the cycle and at certain times in people’s lives. The tissue of the vaginal wall changes as hormones fluctuate in the menstrual cycle. Cells in the outer layers store glycogen to help maintain the PH level and protect the vagina from bacteria and fungi. The vagina acts as a physical barrier to the uterus, protecting it from pathogenic microorganisms.
As we wrap up our vulva exploration, it is also useful to note that the vulva and vagina are linked to the throat. The throat has a very similar structure to the vagina. Muscular pulsations, power singing, orgasming, and childbirth. The vagus nerve links the throat with the pelvis. This is the largest nerve in our body, connecting the brainstem to the sacral nerve plexus. About 80–90 percent of the vagus nerve is sensory, responding to movement and stimulation. As people vocalise their needs, they allow themselves to bring more comfort to any tension or anxiousness they may be holding. Understanding their needs allows people to drop into their bodies and pleasure more. To deepen into this vulva exploration further, you could explore the vulva in real life with yourself or with a partner to understand all the parts truly. Do this with a lit candle and an honouring of how intricate and incredible the vulva is.
Hymen
The hymen is at the entrance to the vagina and is a thin mucous ring. It has a minimal role, but it has been written about more than any other anatomical parts of the vulva. Some hymens can cover the whole of the vaginal opening and then require support medically so menstrual blood can leave easily, but most have a hole or lots of holes. Hymens naturally tear and decrease over time becoming a perforated ring around the vaginal opening. Sometimes someone is born without one. It has nothing to do with virginity. Virginity is heteronormative, meaning society focuses on the penis in the vagina scenario as superior to everything else.
Sources
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/may/30/most-britons-cannot-name-parts-vulva-survey
