Ch4: Genital Anatomy & Sex Response Flashcards
Mons Pubis
- location
- function
Fatty pad of tissue at junction of left and right pubic bone
Functions: pheromones signalling, protection against friction during coitus, signalling sexual maturity
Clitoris contains similar receptors to…
Glans penis
Most common way for women to feel aroused and to orgasm
Clitoris!
During fertile stage of the menstrual cycle, what increases?
The clitoris increases in volume during that phase! Wow!
Other parts of the clitoris (2)
CRURA & VESTIBULAR BULBS
WHAT IS CRURA
Project inward, running along bones that define the perineum
Vestibular bulbs
Clitoral tissue that runs into the body along sides of vagina. Has erectile tissue similar to the spongy bodies of the penis
Vulvar vestibule
Sensitive entranceway to vaginal and urethral openings
* Considered erogenous zone
Painful condition that makes vulvar vestibule extremely sensitive
Provoked vestibulodynia. Sensitivity to penetration from intercourse or even just a speculum.
About __% of women worldwide have experienced female genital mutilation.
15
Female genital mutilation affects _____ girls each year.
2 million or more.
Reasons for FGM
- ensures chastity before marriage
- rite of passage securing marriage
- hygienic/aesthetic (external genitals dirty/unsightly by some)
- religious requirements
3 vaginal layers:
Vaginal mucosa, middle layer, and deepest layer
Outermost vaginal layer called
Vaginal mucosa
Vaginal mucosa
Similar in texture to inside the mouth
Releases secretions to maintain chemical balance
Also releases lube when sexually aroused
Vaginal middle layer
Muscular, more prominent in vagina in outermost third
Tighten during arousal and contract rhythmically during orgasm
Vaginal deepest layer
Fibrous tissue, keeps the vagina in the pelvis
Which part of vag is richest in sensory nerve endings?
Lowest third! That’s why ppl don’t feel tampons or diaphragms inside the vagina
Bartholin glands
Small pair of glands lying next to vagina
Function unknown, may contribute to lubrication just before orgasm
Skene’s glands (3 points)
- Pair of glands on the front wall of vagina
- Ducts empty into urethra
- potentially the female equivalent of prostate gland; contribute to sensitivity of g-spot
G-spot stands for…
Grafenberg spot
G-spot
Large area located on the front vaginal wall
Does the g-spot exist
Debatable—for some women it’s extremely pleasurable, for others it doesn’t do much.
Some women also ejaculate fluid very similar to male prostate through their urethras.
Regardless, whether there is an actual anatomical spot, some think there’s a general region.
Where is Mr. Cervix located?
Top of vagina, lower third/neck of the uterus.
What that cervix do
Secretes mucous through its glands
What’s the opening at the centre of the cervix called?
The os!
Uterus has 3 layers, what they called
Endometrium
Myometrium
Perimetrium
Endometrium
Innermost layer of uterus
She’d during mesntruation
Myometrium
Muscular layer of uterus
Stretches to accommodate fetus
Stretches during labour
Perimetrium
Deepest layer of uterus
Thin smooth membrane
Outermost layer of uterus
Perimetrium
Innermost layer of uterus
Endometrium
Muscular layer of uterus
Myometrium
Ovaries: release eggs AND…
Are endocrine glands that produce estrogens & progestins!
Where does fertilization happen? Not in the uterus but….
The infundibulum!
Infundibulum (2 points)
Part of Fallopian tube closest to the ovary
Has finger-like projects that draw the ova from the ovary into the Fallopian tube
Male genitals, external organs:
Penis
Scrotum (with testes inside)
Penis functions
Sexual pleasure
Urination
Reproduction
Smooth muscles that make up penis
Corpora cavernosa (x2) & corpus spongiosum
Corpora cavernosa
cylindrical bodies covered in fibrous sleeve. Sleeve pulls tight when filled with blood, stiffening penis
Corpus spongiosum
Cylinder that remains soft and spongy during erection. Closer to urethra. Keeps pressure off urethra so ejaculation can occur.
Foreskin aka
Prepuce
Foreskin functions
Protects glans when penis is flaccid
Foreskin typically doesn’t retract in…
Babies and children
Separates on its own after about 2-6 years.
condition where foreskin is too tight to be pulled back over the head
Phimosis
Condition where skin is pulled back and cannot be returned to its original position
Paraphimosis
Circumcision pros (4)
- UTI decrease
- STI decrease ==> HIV and genital warts
- prevents/corrects phimosis
- Debatable: penile cancer decrease (but that’s just a phimosis thing)
Circumcision cons
- risks such as infection, hemorrhage, shock, mutilation
- heightened pain responses to vaccinations in males who did not receive anaesthetic???
- no difference in penile sensitivity or arousal response
- infection risk? Just clean it
Approximately how prevalent is penile cancer
Very low in developed countries. It would take many many circumcisions to prevent a single case.
In Ancient Greece, what size penis was preferred?
Small
Cross-cultural study found women rated ____ size penises most attractive
Intermediate-length
Scrotum layers
Outer layer: skin with a lil’ hair
Inner layer: involuntary muscle layer - DARTOS!
Dartos
Muscle, involuntary contracts testes when cold
Testes functions
Secrete androgens
Produce sperm
(Androgens are male sex hormones)
Spermatic cord
Suspends each testis in the scrotum
Contains vas deferens, blood vessels, and nerves
The testes contains 2 other new words you wanna know…
Spermatic cord and cremaster muscle
Cremaster muscle:
Lifts testicles as they contract.
Cremaster helps regulate testes temperature by adjust how close they are to the body.
Testes formed in…
Abdomen!
Seminiferous tubules: location and function
Live inside the testes
Produce and store sperm, along with interstitial cells
Epididymis: location and function
Covers part of each testicle
Matures and stores sperm
Vas deferens: physiology and function
Thin duct that is part of the spermatic cord
Carries sperm from epididymis to the prostate gland, where they enter the urethra
Seminal vesicles: physiology and function
2 glands next to prostate gland near the end of the vas deferens
Secretes sugary fluid, which contributes up to 70% of ejaculate fluid
Prostate gland function
Secretes thin milky alkaline fluid, creating safe environment for sperm (counters acidity of male urethra and ze vagina)
Cowper’s glands
Secrete pre-ejaculate that prepares the urethra for ejaculate
MAY CONTAIN HEALTHHY SPERM
Prostate cancer lifetime prevalence
ONE IN FUCKING SEVEN
Prostate cancer treatment
If caught early, can be treated with prostatectomy
If spread, can be treated with androgen deprivation therapy
Cons of androgen deprivation therapy
Rarely a long term cure
Many side effects
Cancer is slow-growing, so there is an ongoing debate about whether it’s worthwhile in older men
Masters & Johnson’s sexual response cycle: 2 fundamental processes of the tissue
1 Myotonia
2 Vasocongestion
Myotonia is muscle tension
Vasocongestion is pooling of blood resulting in swelling
Masters & Johnson: four phases of the sexual response cycle
- Excitement
- Plateau
- Orgasm
- Resolution
Sexual response cycle: excitement. What happens?
Vasocongestion > penile erection; vaginal lubrication
Can be triggered by direct genital or non-genital stimulation; sexual thoughts
Plateau
Levelling off of responses
Dramatic surge of sexual tension
Four stages of sexual response cycle: ORGASM
Briefest phase
Muscle spasm
Male ejaculation
Female vaginal and uterine contraction
Resolution
Sexual system returns to unaroused state
Right after orgasm, if no stimulation occurs, takes longer if orgasm hasn’t occurred
Kaplan’s 3-stage model
Desire, excitement, and orgasm.
Criticisms of Kaplan
- linear
- required orgasm
- does desire really come before arousal?
Basson: Model of Female Sexual Response
More inclusive for two reasons:
- women may engage in sex for non-sexual reasons
* desire does not always come first
Basson’s Non-Linear Model of Sexual REsponse
- intimacy
- desire can be reactive or spontaneous
- desire may come before or after arousal
- recognizes that orgasms contribute to satisfaction but aren’t necesssary
- considers relationship/contextual factors
Age-related decreases in sexual response
- arousal takes longer
- vaginal lubrication is reduced (could result in painful intercourse
- penises take longer to get erect, may need more stimulation
- changes associated with normal decline of testosterone with age
- presence of disease and availability of partner
Canadian study of 170 female uni women: [sex differences in sexual response, post orgasm]
Many women experience post-orgasm hypersensitivity and avoid further stimulation
Women are more likely to experience orgasm from penetration if distance is ______ between clitoris and urethra
Shorter
Orgasm arousal, desire, AND temperature decrease, post-orgasm, more quickly in men or women?
Men
