Vagina: Difference between revisions

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	{{otheruses}}
	{{Infobox Anatomy
	\| Name = Vagina
	\| Latin = "]" or "]"
	\| GraySubject = 269
	\| GrayPage = 1264
	\| Image = Fem isa 2.gif
	\| Caption = Human female internal reproductive anatomy.
	\| Image2 =
	\| Caption2 =
	\| Width = 390
	\| System =
	\| Precursor = ]
	\| MeshName = Vagina
	\| MeshNumber = A05.360.319.779
	\| DorlandsPre = v_01
	\| DorlandsSuf = 12842531
	}}


	The '''vagina''', (from ], literally "]" or "]" ) is the ] tract leading from the ] to the exterior of the body in female ]s and ], or to the ] in female ]s, ]s, and some ]s. Female ]s and other ]s also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the ]. The Latinate plural (rarely used in English) is vaginae.

	===Anatomy===
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	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 ] at the outside to the ] of the ] on the inside. If the woman stands upright, the vaginal tube points in an upward-backward direction and forms an ] of slightly more than 45 degrees with the uterus. The vaginal opening is at the back (]) end of the vulva, behind the opening of the ]. Above the vagina is ]. 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 ], the vagina widens and lengthens up to 2-3 times.

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

	The ]—a ] situated behind the ]l opening—partially covers the vagina in many organisms, including some ] females, from birth until it is ruptured by ], 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 ] fluids to leave the body.
	* Sexual activity
	* Giving birth

	====Menstruation====
	The vagina provides a path for ] fluids to leave the body. In modern societies, ]s, ]s and ]s 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 ]. This activity may include ], 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 ], which can in turn lead to ] and ]. There is a very sensitive ] called the '']'' 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 ]s if the ] is stimulated appropriately during intercourse or other sexual activity. A G-Spot ] is said by some to be responsible for the disputed ].

	====Giving birth====
	During ], the vagina provides the route to deliver the ] from the ] 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. ] 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 ] exams, often using an instrument called a ], which keeps the vagina open for visual inspections or taking of samples (see ]).

	Various ] can affect the vagina, including ] and ]s. See ].

	===The vagina and popular culture===
	Western society treats the subject as somewhat taboo. A one-person ] by ] known as '']'' is a rare example of the word appearing in mainstream culture.



	===Slang words for vagina===

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

	==See also==

	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	==External links==

	{{wiktionary\|Vagina}}
	{{commons\|Vagina}}

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

	{{reproductive_system}}
	{{human anatomical features}}

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	{{Link FA\|pl}}

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Revision as of 01:08, 12 October 2006