“Wamma Angie, urination and childbirth all happen through one canal, right? I was talking to my sister yesterday who seems to believe that we actually have two different channels for these.” Said my close friend Sofia as we had breakfast on a random Saturday.
I was surprised to hear that she actually thought that most of our female excretions all happened in one spot. But she wasn’t the and i’m sure she will not be the last person I will have this with conversation or question from.
It is safe to say that two in five girls do not actually know that the female anatomy has a total of three excretion points in the nether area. Well, Did you know that? Most people know about the anus and the other “one hole” where everything else female happens.
So, what is the difference between these parts, where is each located and what is the function of each of them? Let’s delve into the nitty gritties.
There are actually two openings in the vulva which are the vaginal opening and the opening to the urethra which is where we pee out of.
The urethral opening:
The urethral opening is a tiny hole just below your clitoris. It’s main purpose is to aid urination or what we like to call “pee”. The urethra begins at the bottom of the bladder and extends downward, through the pelvic floor. Before urine reaches the urethral opening, it passes through the sphincter muscle which holds urine in the body until it’s released.
The female urethra is significantly shorter than the male urethra. Which means that females have a higher risk of developing Urinary Tract Infections that plague it. The Urinary Tract Infection is one of the main infections that plague the urethra.
The vaginal Opening:
The area we like to call the vagina is actually just the vaginal opening. The vaginal opening is the opening into the vagina as the name suggests. The opening to the vagina is normally hidden by the labia minora, also called the vaginal lips.
It is the area right below your urethral opening and often wider than the urethra. The vagina is where menstrual blood flows out of your body, and babies are born.
You might have heard about the hymen. You know that part that is often used to differentiate between a virgin and non-virgin. Yes, that part. It is a membrane of tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening.
The female anatomy is so broad with a number of knicks and crannies. It is not something you can learn and explore in one day. When you have the time and are able to, you are encouraged to explore your body to learn all its bits.
It is one thing to read about them and an entirely different thing to know where they are and how they look. When you take time to study your body, you will be able to tell when you have an infection and get it treated as soon as possible.
