Ch. 3 Female Anatomy and Sexual Response Flashcards
Female External Organs
○ Mons pubis
○ Clitoris
○ Labia
-Majora (outer lips)
-Minora (inner lips)
○ Vaginal opening (introitus)
Mons Pubis
- Rounded, fatty pad of tissue, covered with pubic hair, at front of the body
- Lies on top of the pubic bones
Clitoris
- 1/8 the size of the glans (penis), double the nerve endings
- Only job is to provide sexual pleasure
Clitoris: tip
Knob of tissue externally in front of vaginal opening and urethral opening
Clitoris: Shaft
Consists of 2 corpora cavernosa
Clitoris: Crura
Two longer spongy bodies that lie deep in body and run from tip to either side of vagina
Labia majora (outer lips)
rounded pads of fatty tissue lying along both sides of the vaginal opening, covered with pubic hair
Labia minora (inner lips)
○ two hairless folds of skin lying between the outer lips and running right along the edge of the vaginal opening
○ the inner lips extend forward and come together in front, forming the clitoral hood
Hymen
Thin membrane which, if present, partially covers the vaginal opening
Female Genital Cutting (FGC)
- Type 1: Clitoridectomy
- Type 2: Excision
- Type 3: Infibulation
- Type 4: non-medical purposes including nicking or piercing the prepuce
Female Internal Organs
- Vagina
- Vestibular bulbs
- Skene’s gland
- Uterus
- Fallopian tubes
- Ovaries
Vagina
- Tube-shaped organ into which penis is inserted during coitus
- Varies in size but generally 3-4 inches long
- Passageway through which a baby travels during birth
○ sometimes called birth canal
*At the bottom, it ends in the vaginal opening or introitus
Vestibular Bulbs
- Bulbs of the clitoris
- Two organs about the size and shape of a pea pod
- Lie on either side of vaginal wall, near the entrance, under the labia minora
- They are erectile tissue and lie close to the crura of the clitoris
Skene’s Gland
- Lies between the wall of the urethra and the wall of the vagina
- Its ducts empty into the urethra
- Secretes fluid that is biochemically similar to male prostate fluid commonly referred to as female ejaculate
Uterus
- Size of a fist and is shaped like an upside-down pear
Cervix
narrow lower third of uterus
Fundus
top of uterus
Body
main part of uterus
Three Layers of the Uterus
- Endometrium
- Myometrium
- Perimetrium or serosa
Breasts
Breasts consist of 15 or 20 clusters of mammary glands, each with a separate opening to the nipple, surrounded by fatty and fibrous tissue
Nipple
Where milk ducts open; at the tip of the breasts
Areola
Slightly darker area surrounding the nipple
Mastitis
- Infection of the milk duct
- Generally, in breastfeeding mothers
- Most commonly caused by Staph
- Sx: redness, pain, swelling, fever chills
- Tx: Dicloxicillin
Puberty for females include…
○ breast development (thelarche) – happens 1st
○ growth of pubic hair
○ increased body growth
Menarche
first menstruation at about 12 to 13 years of age (usually a year after thelarche)
Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
- CD 1-7 Menstruation
- CD7-14 Follicular/ Proliferative Phase
- CD 14 Ovulation
- CD 15-28 Luteal/ Secretory Phase
What Happens in the Ovaries During the Menstrual Cycle?
- Follicular phase: High levels of FSH secreted
a. Function is to stimulate follicles in the ovaries
b. One follicle begins to ripen and brings an egg to maturity
c. Follicle secretes estrogen- Ovulation: Follicle ruptures open and releases the ripened egg
- Luteal phase: After releasing an egg, the follicle turns into the corpus luteum and manufactures progesterone
- Menstruation: Shedding of the inner lining of the uterus
- Follicular phase: High levels of estrogen stimulate the endometrium
- Luteal phase: Progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum stimulates the glands of the endometrium to start secreting nourishing substances
What Happens in the Uterus During the Menstrual Cycle
- Corpus luteum produces estrogen and progesterone for about 10 to 12 days
- If pregnancy has not occurred, hormone output declines
- Menstrual fluid
○ blood from the endometrium
○ degenerated cells
○ mucus from the cervix and vagina
Anovulatory cycle
Menstruation may take place without ovulation
Dysmenorrhea
Painful menstruation
Menorrhagia
excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding
Endometriosis
The endometrium grows in a place other than the uterus
Amenorrhea
Absence of menstruation
Primary amenorrhea
When the female has not menstruated by age 15
Secondary amenorrhea
Absence of menstruation > 3 months
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
○ Emotional symptoms
○ Breast tenderness
○ Appetite changes
○ Bloating
○ Headaches
○ Fatigue
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
- severe persistent symptoms over a year
- Can be treated with OCPs or SSRIs
- SSRIs on a luteal phase or continuous basis
Fluctuations in Sex Drive for Women
- Studies have indicated contradictory results
○ some found a peak frequency of intercourse around ovulation
○ others found peaks just before and just after menstruation (1994)
○ one study indicated that sexual activity initiated by the woman peaked during the three days before and three days after ovulation (2004)
Dual Control Model – Janssen and Bancroft
- Sexual Excitation (accelerator)
○ Sympathetic
○ Sex-related stimuli
- See, hear, taste, smell, touch
○ Imagination
Cues for sexual desire – McCall and Meston
- Love/Emotional bonding Cues
○ Feeling secure and emotionally close with your partner - Explicit/Erotic Cues
○ Watching/listening to erotica
○ Your partner expressing desire for you “talking dirty to you” - Visual/Proximity Cues
○ Physical appearance of a potential partner - Romantic/Implicit Cues
○ Sharing intimate behaviors
One brain to rule them all! (Nagoski, 2015)
- LEARNING
- LIKING
- WANTING
Nonconcordance (Nagoski, 2015) Three levels of response
- Involuntary physiological response
- Involuntary expressive response
- Subjective experience of a feelings
Errors in thinking
- That genital response equates to desire
- That genital response equates to pleasure
- That nonconcordance is a problem
Huge orgasm gap between men and women
- 90% of men report orgasming with all or almost all sexual encounters
- 48% of women report the same
Lubrication
- Sexual arousal should provide lubrication
○ Females: vaginal lubrication
○ Males: pre-ejaculatory fluid - Orgasm usually provides ejaculate
○ Men: semen
○ Women: skene’s glands can ejaculate a liquid as well
Other myths about orgasm
- If you can’t orgasm at the same time as your partner there is something wrong
- You should be able to orgasm vaginally every encounter
- If you have a vagina, you should be able to orgasm multiple times in a row
- Using a condom diminishes orgasm
