The vulva represents the entire female external genitalia. It is located under the Mount of Venus (the area of skin above the pubic symphysis) and it includes the mons pubis (the round portion in front of the pubic bones that is covered by hair) and the skin folds under the pubic hair that protect the urethral opening as well as the vagina. Moreover, the vulva is made up of large and small lips (labia majora and labia minora), the clitoris, the vulvar vestibule, the urethral orifice and the vaginal orifice.
The external female genitalia mainly develop during foetal development in the womb. It further develops during puberty due to the secondary sexual characteristics that occur as a result of increasing female hormones oestrogen.
What is the vulva?
The vulva is the entire portion of the female external genitalia and extends from the pubis to the anus. The vulva itself is divided into two bearings, known as the labia majora, easily visible from the outside. Below the labia majora are the labia minora, two mucous folds from the labia majora are fully or partially coated and they are united, in their upper ends, in the clitoral hood.
The clitoris is a small organ (the rudimentary counterpart of a penis) and one of the sites linked to sexual pleasure in women. The clitoris consists of a body and of a glans with cavernous structures, and it is located inferiorly to the opening of the labia majora and it is surrounded by the labia minora that provide it a frenulum and foreskin. In total, including the root, body and glans, the clitoris measures a length of about 6 centimetres.
The urethra is the tube that connects the bladder to the urethral opening. Urine passes from the bladder through the urethra and leaves the body through the urethral opening. The urethral opening is located just below the clitoris.
Inside the labia minora is the vulvar vestibule. Through the observation of the vulvar vestibule, one may recognize the presence of two orifices, the urethral orifice (or the outlet of urethra, placed higher up toward the pubis) and the vaginal orifice (or the outlet of the vagina, located lower down, towards the anus).
The vulvar vestibule contains various glands: the Skene's glands, located on either side of the urethra and, in the vicinity of the vaginal opening, and the two Bartholin's glands (or greater vestibular glands) and minor vestibular glands.
What function does the vulva serve?
The vulva allows urination (the jet of urine escaping from the urethra is channelled by the labia minora); it facilitates the performance of sexual intercourse, during which the small and the large lips receive a larger amount of blood flow and increase in volume while the glands present in the vulvar vestibule ensure the lubrication of the vulva and vagina; finally the vulva allows the passage of the foetus during childbirth.
Furthermore, the vagina cleans itself with a microbial flora that flows from the inside out and the vulva acts as an assistant to flush out the vulvovaginal fluids and maintains normal vaginal health.
