Dr. Jen Gunter gives us the opportunity to enter a new world about women's sexuality. To explain the reason for the need for a book about the vagina, the doctor relates how knowledge about human sexuality has come from a male perspective, causing dominant beliefs to ignore important knowledge that would make social relationships different and even more satisfactory

From the historical data reported by the writer about the study of the vagina, we highlight the following:

1. In Hippocrates' time, male doctors rarely performed pelvic examinations on women or dissected female corpses, because it was considered inappropriate or indelicate to touch a woman outside of marital relations.
2. Around the year 1000 BC. C., Persian and Arab doctors began to show more interest in the clitoris, but there were restrictions that prevented medical scholars from touching a naked woman or even a female corpse.
3. Towards the end of the 17th century, descriptions of the female anatomy began to be quite accurate. Some of the anatomists who led these advances have been immortalized through the names of the structures they so conscientiously described: Gabriele Falloppio (fallopian tubes; he also invented the first condom and studied it in a clinical trial) and Caspar Bartholin (fallopian glands). Bartolino).
4. In 1844, anatomist Georg Ludwig Kobelt published a work so detailed that its anatomical descriptions of the clitoris rival those we have today. However, her works were largely ignored (like almost all that preceded them), in part, surely, to the spread of Victorian convictions (in essence, the dangers of female sexuality) and also to the popularization of the Freudian idea. that the clitoris generated an "immature" orgasm.
5. Doctors in the 1920s and 1930s were convinced that the vagina oozed dangerous bacteria. Naturally, the idea is baseless; if the vagina was constantly in a state of almost catastrophic infection, women would not have survived, from an evolutionary perspective.

Currently, knowledge about the vagina has increased and continues to increase, with the purpose of recognizing the bodily differences between men and women.

After learning a little about the initial context of the study of the vagina, Dr. Jen goes on to define and describe the vulva.

THE VULVA

Currently, the vulva is defined as the multitasking organ par excellence: it plays an essential role in sexual pleasure, protects the tissues of the vaginal opening, is designed to cope with the irritation produced by urine and feces and when giving birth to a child recovers without any problem or change.

Its parts are:

1. CLITORIS

BODY : The part of the inverted Y that folds back on itself. It measures between 2 and 4 cm in length. Connects the pubic bone with a ligament.

ROOT: Links the body of the clitoris with the pillars. The erectile parts of the clitoris converge here. It has great importance in terms of sensations because it is located in a very superficial area (under the skin, just above the urethra).

CLITORAL PILLARS: The outer arms of the inverted Y (some people describe them as the arms of a furcula, the fork-shaped bone of birds). They measure between 5 and 9 cm in length and there is one on each side, approximately below the labia majora.

CLITORAL BULBS (ALSO CALLED VESTIBULAR): The inner arms of the inverted Y. They measure between 3 and 7 cm in length and are in contact with the outside of the urethra and vagina.

Since the clitoris is so closely linked to the urethra and the lower walls of the vagina, many experts consider that the most appropriate term for it would be clitorourethrovaginal complex.

The different parts of the clitoris, in their entirety, are involved in sexual sensations and all are erectile, which means that they become engorged and acquire firmness with the influx of blood. The glans has the greatest concentration of nerves and the least amount of erectile tissue. The body and pillars, for their part, have the maximum volume of tissue with erection capacity. The presence of sexually sensitive nerves and erectile tissue throughout the structure explains why women born without clitoral glans retain the ability to achieve orgasm, as do those whose urethra has been removed (and, with most likely, parts of the clitoris connected to it) or who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).

1. THE LIPS AND THE MOUNT OF VENUS

The mons pubis and the two sets of labia, the major and minor, exist to increase sexual pleasure and protect the vestibule (vaginal opening).

The mons pubis is the area of ​​skin and fatty tissue that extends from the top of the pubic bone to the clitoral hood. The fat layer slightly elevates the tissue, providing a type of mechanical barrier. The labia majora are fleshy folds formed by skin and fatty tissue. They are covered with pubic hair and extend from the mons pubis to just below the vestibule. They have different types of gland. They usually measure 7 to 12 cm in length,

The glans of the clitoris nests between these folds, so that friction on the labia minora increases sexual pleasure. The labia minora house specialized nerve endings important for sexual reaction, especially along the edges. They are able to perceive even the most subtle touch.

The labia minora may or may not protrude beyond the labia majora and there is no “normal” shape or size. Their width usually ranges between 1 and 5 cm, but the fact that they are wider is not considered a medical abnormality.

1. THE SKIN OF THE VULVA

The mons pubis and labia majora have sweat glands (eccrine) that secrete perspiration directly to the skin through pores. They also have hair (fine, similar to peach fuzz) and pubic hair; both provide a mechanical protective barrier and retain moisture. As each of the pubic hairs is connected to a nerve ending, friction or rubbing could contribute to sexual stimulation.

Inside the hair follicles, both hair and hair, there is a sebaceous gland that produces sebum, an oily substance responsible for keeping the skin soft and flexible, as well as sealing it. The pubic hair follicles also have specialized sweat glands called apocrine glands (also located in the armpit), which are activated during puberty. They secrete oily sweat with traces of hormones and pheromones to the hair shaft. Bacteria on the skin transform the secretions of the apocrine sweat glands into odorous substances, which are responsible for the classic smell of perspiration. The true function of apocrine sweat glands is unknown, but given that they develop and become functional around the time of puberty and also secrete pheromones, it is likely that they once or continue to play some role in sexual attraction. .

Secretions from sebaceous and apocrine glands mix with fatty substances produced by skin cells and form a layer called the "acid mantle": a film on the surface of the skin that provides protection against bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. . The pH of vulvar skin ranges between 5.3 and 5.6, so it is slightly acidic (the pH of water is 7.0, which is considered neutral).

1. THE LOBBY

The intersection between the vagina and the vulva is known as the "vestibule" and it is at that point where the urethra is located. Strictly speaking, the vestibule is external, but the skin in this area is similar to what we find in the vagina: mucous membrane, a type of skin with a shortage of keratin whose cells are full of glycogen, a sugar macromolecule. It also does not have hair or sebum, so the tissue is mainly protected by the labia minora.

In the vestibule we also find two types of specialized glands: in the upper part are the Skene's glands, very similar to the prostate of men (studies show that they secrete small amounts of prostate-specific antigen or PSA, for its acronym in English). ). The Bartolini glands are located on both sides of the vestibule, in the lower part. Both could provide a small amount of lubrication.

1. ANAL SPHINCTERS

The anus has two muscular rings: the internal and external sphincter. The mucosa of the anus is characterized by high innervation (abundance of nerves), because the tissue must distinguish between solid and liquid stools, perceive gas, and coordinate the socially appropriate time for evacuation. This neat network of nerves explains why some people find anal sex stimulating. It also explains why hemorrhoids and fissures (small breaks in the skin) are so painful.

The internal sphincter is responsible for around 80 percent of fecal continence, so it is given greater importance in this regard.

As we observed, Dr. Jen Gunter gives us exact details of the vulva that are lost in sexual education when we are teenagers, causing us to live experiences full of doubts and unreal myths as adults; which contribute to inadequate personal care and hygiene or sexual dissatisfaction, even causing long-term illnesses and frustrations.

For this reason, it is important after reading about the vulva, to analyze the care that one takes as a woman and to rethink some actions that we do or ask to be done, thinking that they are correct. Effective and adequate personal hygiene, like sexual satisfaction, are based on the needs and characteristics of our body, learn and listen to your vulva.

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