The vagina

Maria's body has changed, quite rapidly, over the last few years. she's noticed hair has grown between her legs. Some parts here have begun to change in shape. Puberty raises lots of questions for Maria. Come to think of it, she's not sure of the names for all the parts down there.

Well, let's start with the hair. It protects against dirt and creates an airy environment. This area here at the top bulges out a bit. This is the pubic mound. Right below the pubic mound you'll find two pairs of skin folds.

You might have to move them apart a bit to see them properly. These are the outer and the inner labia. The labia are sensitive to touch and they swell when you become sexually aroused. That is – when you become horny. Now, if you follow the inner labia up towards the navel, they meet underneath the pubic mound.

Here, you'll find another fold of skin. This is the clitoral hood, and below it, you'll see the tip of the clitoris. The entire clitoris is pretty large. Most of it can't be seen from the outside, nut sometimes you might be able to feel the inner part when stimulated from the inside. In the clitoris there are many nerves, and they sit very close together.

This makes the clitoris extra sensitive to touch, especially when you become horny. At that point, blood fills special cavities: erectile tissue, and the clitoris expands and gets stiffer. When the clitoris is stimulated, it can feel really nice. And not just there – it can be felt in the whole body. This is the only known function of the clitoris: to provide pleasure.

Continuing down between the labia, you can see a small opening. This is where pee comes out, the urethral meatus. Below that is another opening, to the vagina. Through this opening, blood comes out during menstruation and another fluid, vaginal discharge, that helps keep the vagina clean, moist and clear from infections. It is through here that sperm can enter and eventually a baby can be born.

And this is also a place you might want to enter with a finger for pleasure. This whole area: the pubic mound, the inner and outer labia, the tip of the clitoris, the urethral opening and the vaginal opening, together make up the outer genitals – or the vulva. Although every vulva has the same parts, they all look different. Just as we all have individual faces, everyone looks different down here. Now, let's move inside.

Here is a tube about 10 centimetres long, its walls are made of muscle tissue with a surface of mucous membranes. This is the vagina. The vagina is strong and flexible. Just inside the opening of the vagina, you might be able to feel some mucus tissue around the sides. This is the hymen.

Deeper inside, beyond the vagina, are the organs involved in making babies – in reproduction. This is the uterus. This is where a baby can grow during pregnancy. The uterus is connected to the vagina through the cervix. To make a baby, you need an egg, and that comes from one of the ovaries.

Connecting the uterus and the ovaries are the fallopian tubes. Here, a sperm can meet with an egg and fertilize it. There you go, Maria, these are the parts of your genitals and what they're called. Knowing all this, you can talk more about them and their role in both pleasure. And making babies.