In women who have not had a vaginal birth the external os appears as a small, circular opening.

Defibulation, or deinfibulation, is a surgical technique to reverse the closure of the vaginal opening after a Type III infibulation, and consists of a vertical cut opening up normal access to the vagina.

The labia minora ( singular: labium minus ), also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin on either side of the human vaginal opening, situated between the labia majora ( outer labia, or outer lips ).

The midwife sat facing the mother, encouraging and supporting her through the birth, perhaps offering instruction on breathing and pushing, sometimes massaging her vaginal opening, and supporting her perineum during the delivery of the baby.

In females, the urethra is shorter and emerges above the vaginal opening.

In humans, this passage leads from the opening of the vulva to the uterus ( womb ), but the vaginal tract ends at the cervix.

The vaginal opening is much larger than the urethral opening, and both openings are protected by the labia.

Vaginal lubrication is provided by the Bartholin's glands near the vaginal opening and the cervix.

The hymen is a membrane of tissue that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening.

The outer one-third of the vagina, especially near the opening, contains the majority of the vaginal nerve endings, making it more sensitive to touch than the inner two-thirds of the vaginal barrel.

In taking a Pap smear, a speculum is used to open the vaginal canal and allow the collection of cells from the outer opening of the cervix of the uterus and the endocervix.

A male has nine, a female has one more ( the vaginal opening ) and possesses the skills to make use of this orifice as well.

The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening.

After giving birth, the vaginal opening usually has nothing left but hymenal tags ( carunculae myrtiformes ) and is called " parous introitus ".

Various types of hymen ( the dark areas represent the vaginal opening )

The Gräfenberg Spot is typically described as being located one to three inches ( 2. 5 to 7. 6 cm ) up the front ( anterior ) vaginal wall between the vaginal opening and the urethra and is a sensitive area that may be part of the female prostate.

In humans, the mons pubis divides into the labia majora ( literally " larger lips ") on either side of the furrow, known as the pudendal cleft, that surrounds the labia minora, clitoris, vaginal opening, and other structures of the vulval vestibule.

Complaints of sexual pain that is – dyspareunia or vulvodynia – typically fall into one of three categories: vulvar pain ( pain at the opening or at the external genitalia ), vaginal pain, or deep pain, or some combination of all three.

Vaginal tears can occur during childbirth, most often at the vaginal opening as the baby's head passes through, especially if the baby descends quickly.

That is, when first penetration takes place, the pressure and pain signals may involuntarily cause all the vaginal muscles to contract in an effort to bar the intrusion and prevent further pain.

Bacterial vaginosis ( BV ) or less commonly vaginal bacteriosis is a disease of the vagina caused by bacteria.

BV can be asymptomatic in almost half of affected women, however the most common symptom of BV is an abnormal homogeneous off-white vaginal discharge ( especially after vaginal intercourse ) that may be accompanied by an unpleasant ( usually fishy ) smell.

By contrast, the normal vaginal discharge will vary in consistency and amount throughout the menstrual cycle and is at its clearest at ovulation-about 2 weeks before the period starts.

This test, called the whiff test, is performed by adding a small amount of potassium hydroxide to a microscopic slide containing the vaginal discharge.

Similar to the whiff test, the test for clue cells is performed by placing a drop of sodium chloride solution on a slide containing vaginal discharge.

An alternative is to use a Gram-stained vaginal smear, with the Hay / Ison criteria or the Nugent criteria.

It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall.

When the endocervix is exposed to the harsh acidic environment of the vagina it undergoes metaplasia to squamous epithelium which is better suited to the vaginal environment.

Candidiasis is a very common cause of vaginal irritation, or vaginitis, and can also occur on the male genitals.

This dose is only effective for vaginal yeast infections, and other types of yeast infections may require different dosing.

The risk from most of these types of infection, however, is generally considered far lower than that associated with vaginal or anal sex.

" Not all sodomy is homosexual: one Moroccan sociologist, in a study of sex education in his native country, notes that for many young men heterosexual sodomy is considered better than vaginal penetration, and female prostitutes likewise report the demand for anal penetration from their ( male ) clients.

Lesbians are not included in a category of frequency of human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) transmission, although transmission is possible through vaginal and cervical secretions.

Estrogen is also used in the therapy of vaginal atrophy, hypoestrogenism ( as a result of hypogonadism, castration, or primary ovarian failure ), amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and oligomenorrhea.

Instead, part or all of the glans is usually kept and reshaped as a clitoris, while the skin of the penile shaft may also be inverted to form the vagina ( some more recently-developed procedures, such as that used by Dr. Suporn Watanyusakul use the scrotum to form the vaginal walls, and the skin of the penile shaft to form the labia majora ).

However, not all PID is caused solely by STIs ; organisms that are considered normal vaginal flora can be involved, and individual cases of PID can be due to either a single organism or a co-infection of many different species.

Semen has an alkaline nature, and they do not reach full motility ( hypermotility ) until they reach the vagina where the alkaline pH is neutralized by acidic vaginal fluids.

After a surreal dream blending the themes of bowling, the Persian Gulf War, Maude ’ s “ vaginal ” art, and the nihilists, The Dude wakes up in a police car and is then placed in front of the police chief of Malibu.

The levels of estrogen decrease at menopause and this usually causes a lower interest in sex and vaginal dryness which makes intercourse painful.

A Caesarean section is usually performed when a vaginal delivery would put the baby's or mother's life or health at risk, although in recent times it has also been performed upon request for childbirths that could otherwise have been natural.

In a peer-reviewed study by sociologists Peter Bearman and Hannah Brueckner, which looked at virginity pledgers five years after their pledge, they found that the pledgers have similar proportions of sexually transmitted diseases ( STDs ) and at least as high proportions of anal and oral sex as those who have not made a virginity pledge, and deduced that there was substitution of oral and anal sex for vaginal sex among the pledgers.

Some studies have found that virginity pledges may be effective at delaying vaginal intercourse, but that they are ineffective in reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted infections ( STIs ) because pledgers may replace vaginal intercourse with other sexual activities, such as oral sex and anal sex ; other research, however, has suggested no such substitution among pledgers, though pledgers may partake in vaginal or oral sex.

* fear of pain associated with penetration, particularly the popular misconception of " breaking " the hymen upon the first attempt at penetration, or the idea that vaginal penetration will inevitably hurt the first time it occurs

Further inquiry should determine whether the pain is superficial or deep-whether it occurs primarily at the vaginal outlet or vaginal barrel or upon deep thrusting against the cervix.

DES-exposed daughters are at an increased risk of abnormalities of the reproductive tract, including vaginal epithelial changes ( which as vaginal adenosis, means a type of tissue develops on the surface of the vagina that is not generally found there ), an increased cervical transformation zone, and uterine abnormalities, such as T-shaped uterus.

In comparison with traditional hospital wards, home-like settings had a trend towards an increase in spontaneous vaginal birth, breastfeeding at six to eight weeks, and a positive view of care.

A woman may have any combination of vaginal infections at one time.

A specialized form of vaginal speculum is the weighted speculum, which consists of a broad half tube which is bent at about a 90 degree angle, with the channel of the tube on the exterior side of the angle.

In addition, the optional penetrating attachments gently rotate to stimulate the vaginal walls and G-spot at variable speeds while also vibrating to help a woman learn how to have multiple, full body G-spot orgasms.

Users pay attention to the sensation at their vulva, and the appearance of any vaginal discharge.

Women with vaginal bleeding during pregnancy are at higher risk for preterm birth.