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The vagina, (from Latin, literally "sheath" or "scabbard" ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the oviduct. The Latinate plural (rarely used in English) is vaginae.

Anatomy

The human vagina is an elastic muscular tube projecting inside a female. It is usually slightly shorter and thinner than an average male penis, at about 4 inches (100 mm) long and 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter (although there is wide variation from woman to woman) but its elasticity causes it to be able to accept larger penises. It connects the vulva at the outside to the cervix of the uterus on the inside. If the woman stands upright, the vaginal tube points in an upward-backward direction and forms an angle of slightly more than 45 degrees with the uterus. The vaginal opening is at the back (caudal) end of the vulva, behind the opening of the urethra. Above the vagina is Mons Veneris. The inside of the vagina is usually pink, as with all internal mucous membranes in mammals.

In common speech, the term "vagina" is often used 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. The labia and other parts would be considered parts of the vagina as well in its common usage.

Length, width and shape of the vagina may vary. When a woman gives birth and during sexual intercourse, the vagina widens and lengthens up to 2-3 times.

Vaginal lubrication is provided by the Bartholin's glands near the vaginal opening and the cervix and also seeps through the vaginal wall (which does not contain any glands).

The hymen—a membrane situated behind the urethral opening—partially covers the vagina in many organisms, including some human females, from birth until it is ruptured by sexual intercourse, or by any number of other activities including medical examinations, injury, certain types of exercise, introduction of a foreign object, etc. However, it should be noted that sexual intercourse does not always cause the hymen to be broken, and so (for example) it is not true that a woman with an intact hymen must be a virgin.

Functions of the vagina

From a biological perspective, the vagina performs the following functions:

• Providing a path for menstrual fluids to leave the body.
• Sexual activity
• Giving birth

Menstruation

The vagina provides a path for menstrual fluids to leave the body. In modern societies, tampons, menstrual cups and sanitary towels may be used to absorb or capture these fluids.

Sexual activity

The concentration of the nerve endings that lie particularly close to the mouth of a woman's vagina can bring her pleasurable sensations during sexual activity, when she is stimulated in a way that she enjoys, possibly culminating in an orgasm. This activity may include heterosexual intercourse, during which her partner’s penis is placed within her vagina. During intercourse, her vagina’s heat, pressure, and friction on the man’s penis excite him, typically resulting in his orgasm and ejaculation, which can in turn lead to fertilization and pregnancy. There is a very sensitive erogenous zone called the G-spot inside the vagina (in the anterior of the vagina, about five cm in from the entrance). Some women (although reputedly only a minority) can experience very intense orgasms if the G-spot is stimulated appropriately during intercourse or other sexual activity. A G-Spot orgasm is said by some to be responsible for the disputed female ejaculation.

Giving birth

During live birth, the vagina provides 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.

Sexual health and hygiene

The vagina itself is a self-cleaning organ and needs no particular treatment in the name of basic hygiene. Douching is discouraged by doctors, as the practice upsets the balance of vaginal flora and may contribute to pelvic inflammatory disease.

The vagina is examined during gynecological exams, often using an instrument called a speculum, which keeps the vagina open for visual inspections or taking of samples (see pap smear).

Various disorders can affect the vagina, including vaginal cancer and yeast infections. See vulvovaginal health.

The vagina and popular culture

Western society treats the subject as somewhat taboo. A one-person play by Eve Ensler known as The Vagina Monologues is a rare example of the word appearing in mainstream culture.

Notable people with vaginas

• Katie Couric
• Rosa Parks
• Nikki Webster
• Chelsea Clinton
• Jodie Foster
• Cindy Crawford
• Mother Teresa
• Amber Brkich
• Ananda Lewis
• Trisha Goddard
• Meera Syal
• Vanna White
• Keisha Castle-Hughes

Slang words for vagina

The vagina is also known by many other words, many of which are considered rude and taboo. The most common slang word, worthy of an article in its own right, is cunt. A rich variety of other colourful and inventive epithets also are in common use.

See also

• Menstruation
• Clitoris
• Grafenberg spot
• Masturbation
• Female ejaculation
• Kegel exercise
• Human sexuality
• Human sexual behavior
• Cunnilingus
• Sex-positive feminism
• Sex
• Childbirth

External links

• Pink Parts - "Walk through" of female sexual anatomy by noted sex activist and educator Heather Corinna (illustrations; no explicit photos)
• All About My Vagina - A website devoted entirely to the vagina, from the perspective of its "owner", who identifies herself only as "Sarah".
• Patient Queries - Vagina - Patient Queries related to vaginal problems answered by Obstetricians, Gynaecologists & Sexologists

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• Reproductive system
• Gynecology
• Female reproductive system