NURSING NSG 5003 Study Guide Quiz spring 2023

1. Diagram and describe the normal female external genitalia Mons pubis (mons veneris)—a fatty layer of tissue over the pubic symphysis (joint formed by union of the pubic bones). During puberty it becomes covered with pubic hair and sebaceous and sweat glands become more active. Estrogen causes fat to be deposited under the skin, giving the mons pubis a moundlike shape. This cushion of tissue protects the pubic symphysis during sexual intercourse. • Labia majora (singular, labium majus)—two folds of skin arising at the mons pubis and extending back to the fourchette, forming a cleft. During puberty the amount of fatty tissue increases, pubic hair grows on lateral surfaces, and sebaceous glands on hairless medial surfaces secrete lubricants. This structure is highly sensitive to temperature, touch, pressure, and pain; it is homologous to the male scrotum and it protects the inner structures of the vulva (see Figs. 24.1 and 24.2). • Labia minora (singular, labium minus)—two smaller, thinner, asymmetric folds of skin within the labia majora that form the clitoral hood (prepuce) and frenulum, and then split to enclose the vestibule and converge near the anus to form the fourchette. The labia minora are hairless, pink, and moist and are well supplied with nerves, blood vessels, and sebaceous glands that secrete a bactericidal fluid that has a distinctive odor and lubricates and waterproofs the vulvar skin. The labia swell with blood during sexual arousal. • Clitoris—richly innervated, erectile organ between the labia minora. It is a small, cylindrical structure having a visible glans and a shaft that lie beneath the skin. The clitoris is homologous to the male penis. It secretes smegma, which has a unique odor that may be sexually arousing to the male. Like the penis the clitoris is a major site of sexual stimulation and orgasm. With sexual arousal, erectile tissues in the clitoris fill with blood, causing it to enlarge slightly. • Vestibule—an area protected by the labia minora and contains the external opening of the vagina, called the introitus, or vaginal orifice. A thin, perforated membrane called the hymen may cover the introitus. The vestibule also contains the opening of the urethra, or urinary meatus (orifice). These structures are lubricated by two pairs of glands: Skene glands and Bartholin glands. The ducts of Skene glands (also called the lesser vestibular or paraurethral glands) open on both sides of the urinary meatus. The ducts of Bartholin glands (greater vestibular or vulvovaginal glands) open on either side of the introitus. In response to sexual stimulation, Bartholin glands secrete mucus that lubricates the inner labial surfaces, as well as enhances the viability and motility of sperm. Skene glands help lubricate the urinary meatus and the vestibule. Secretions from both sets of glands facilitate coitus. In response to sexual excitement, the highly vascular tissue just beneath the vestibule fills with blood and becomes engorged. • Perineum—an area with less hair, skin, and subcutaneous tissue lying between the vaginal orifice and anus. Unlike the rest of the vulva, this area has little subcutaneous fat so that the skin is close to the underlying muscles. The perineum covers the muscular perineal body, a fibrous structure that consists of elastic fibers and connective tissue, and serves as the common attachment for the bulbocavernosus, the external anal sphincter, and the levator ani muscles (see Fig. 24.4). The perineum varies in length from 2 to 5 cm or more and stretches rem