WOMEN’S EXTERNAL SEX STRUCTURES AND ORGANS: URETHRA AND UTERUS

Posted: March 20th, 2009 under Women's Health.
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Urethra

Urine from the bladder passes through the urethra and leaves the body through the urethral opening. The urethra of girls and women is much shorter than the urethra of boys and men because it does not extend outside the body, as it does in the penis.

Skene’s Glands

The Skene’s glands are inside the body—one on each side of the urethra. They open into the urethra. Stimulation of the G-Spot and expulsion of fluid from the Skene’s glands may constitute female ejaculation.

Uterus

The uterus is the pear-shaped reproductive organ commonly called the womb. It is formed of powerful, muscular walls and is about the size of the woman’s fist.

The cervix is the lower, narrower portion, or neck, of the uterus. Nearly one-half of the cervix is inside the vagina. An opening in the cervix, called the os, is like a canal that connects the inside of the uterus to the vagina. At its narrowest point, the opening of the cervix is about as wide as the lead in a pencil.

Menstrual flow passes out of the uterus through the cervix. The cervix can also stretch to allow a fetus to pass through it. During intercourse, the penis does not enter the cervix. It may tap against the cervix, which may provide sexual pleasure to some women. Others may find this uncomfortable.

The inside of the uterus is a triangle-shaped area. It is lined with thick, plush walls of tissue and blood. The lining is called the endometrium. It is like a nest for the fertilized egg if pregnancy happens.

The endometrium stays particularly plush for part of each month. If one of the woman’s eggs is fertilized during this time, it may move to the uterus and attach itself to the endometrium. If it does, pregnancy will begin as the endometrium begins to nourish the fertilized egg, or pre-embryo. If fertilization does not take place or the pre-embryo does not attach, the endometrium will break down and pass out of the vagina. This is called menstruation.

If pregnancy develops and continues, the pre-embryo will develop into a fetus. When it is time for the fetus to move out of the woman’s body, the muscles of the uterus contract in a process called labor to deliver the fetus from the uterus, through the stretched, or “dilated,” cervical os, down the vagina, through the vaginal opening, and out of the body.

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