Unveiling The Veiled
Lifting Covers From The Well Kept Secret Of Female Sexual/Reproductive Anatomy
IS IGNORANCE REALLY BLISS?
The taboo and shame that is intrinsically attached with the female genitalia, will come as no big surprise to most Pakistani women. Even as we make many technological advances in various circles of our lives and welcome new areas of knowledge to widen our outlook and approach, the lack of basic education and understanding surrounding the female sexual/reproductive organs and their function, portrays a period stuck in the times of antiquity. The amount of limited awareness among adolescent girls and adult women begets the question: “For how long are we going to remain in our comfort zone, exhibiting a nonchalant attitude towards understanding our own basic anatomy and its normal functioning?” With the dawn of internet and easy access to potentially unreliable and exploitative nature of sources related to sexuality, it is interesting to note that young girls have a fair idea of STIs and HIV - disease conditions that everyone should have a knowledge of - but the stick falls short terribly when it comes to one’s own body literacy.
Drenched in social stigma, which keeps feeding and growing the loop of cultural barriers to conversation and discussion, a generation after generation of clueless women with regards to their own anatomy means that the bar to achieve health and vitality for almost half of the nation’s population, is set drastically low. While growing up, girls reaching their ages of puberty find information from their mothers regarding the newly developing physical and emotional changes, close to none. Reliance on equally ill informed peers, movies and erotic websites means that the history keeps renewing itself.
The myths and mystery enveloping female sexual/reproductive organs becomes all the more problematic when it inhibits a woman from seeking proper care for her concerning gynecological symptoms. Taking the meaning of “haya” (modesty) out of its linguistic context, many Muslim women ascribe talking about the daily nuances of their body parts to a sinful and shameful act. Qualitative research assessing awareness regarding sexuality among young female adults revealed that withholding accurate and critical sexual knowledge was in the wake of “fear that the sexual information may increase premarital sexual activities among adolescents. Consequently, adolescents are unable to protect their sexual health due to being deprived of appropriate sources of information.”
FORGING A DEEPER SENSE OF CONNECTION
Imagine a society where women have access to correct information pertaining to their anatomy, have a clear understanding of what a healthy, normal functioning of their sexual organs looks like, and when it’s the right time to call their midwife/gynecologist for a matter that requires further troubleshooting and assistance. Though it sounds cliched, accurate knowledge is empowering to the person possessing it. A body literate woman is not a threat to its family, culture or society at large, but a powerful, sensible human being, attuned to her true self, assuming responsibility in maintaining her own health and well-being, and an advocate for the rights that Allah has afforded her with.
Nations don’t thrive when their women are timid and ignorant about their innate strength and capabilities, but when women appreciate and recognize the many gifts that the Creator has put in place in the way of their unique design.
THE BASICS OF YOUR ANATOMY
Contrary to the popularly held belief, you need not be a medically trained professional to know and understand what comprises your lady parts. An accurately described, rudimentary information can serve you in loving and accepting your body, boosting your self esteem, and ensuring that your whole body health is in sync with each of the internal organs and its systems.
The female sexual/reproductive organs consist of:
the external genitalia/outer parts
the vagina
the uterus
the ovaries
the Fallopian tubes
the breasts
I. THE OUTER PARTS
The Vulva
Probably one of the most mislabeled parts of the female anatomy, vulva is very often confused with vagina. In fact, if you ask around, 9 out of 10 women will say vagina when they actually mean vulva. Comprising of the various parts of the external genitalia, vulva is the umbrella term that includes the labia majora, the labia minora, the clitoris, the introitus (vaginal opening), the urethral opening, the perineum and the vestibular glands. On the upper aspect of the vulva is the mons pubis, the fatty, hair covered soft tissue that protects the internal reproductive organs. On the lower end sits the anal opening.
The outer lips of the labia is the area where pubic hair grows as one of the many pubertal signs, and one which is also tasked with guarding the inner aspects of the vulva, a region known as vestibule. The inner lips of the labia are delicate folds of smooth tissue, and their color may range from light pink to brownish black in different skin toned women. Sexual arousal, as well as nearing the time of ovulation, tends to excite labia minora where it swells with blood and produces fluid for lubrication as it possesses the glands that help it.
Since we are still exploring the magnificent vulvar site, let’s give some honorable mention to the hymen as well, a circular band of elastic connective tissue partially covering the vaginal opening, which is considered a proof of a woman’s chastity as it needs to “bleed” to prove its existence, and hence a woman’s virgin/untouched status can be confirmed. First time sexual intercourse can tear this film apart, but so can a sudden fall, insertion of tampons, or engaging in active sports like horseback riding or cycling. However, if the tissue is flexible, it is equally possible that the membrane stays intact. Hence, the presence or absence of hymen fails the age old test to determine a woman’s piety. (Don’t fall into these traps of baseless myths, folks. That’s a heavy price an innocent woman has to pay).
Next up comes the clitoris, which is a structure to marvel on its own. The tip of the clitoris, the glans, is the protruding portion that you can feel at the top of the vestibule. It is the most highly sensitive organ made of erectile tissue, and is a key to many women's sexual pleasure. The pea-sized clitoral glans is home to a whopping 8,000 nerve endings! Needless to say, the glans is not where the structure of the clitoris ends, but as illustrated in the diagram below, continues internally to make corpus cavernosa - spongy cylinders of tissue that fill with blood and cause the clitoris to erect exquisitely during sexual arousal and hug the vaginal wall - and branch out further into “legs” or crus (pl. crurae) that extends under the surface of the labia minora.
II. THE INNER PARTS
The Vagina
A circular, muscular passage with ridges along its walls, the vagina connects the external genitalia to the inner reproductive organs and is the sole conduit for the release of menstrual blood, a receptive channel for semen from male penis, and an exit route for babies. The mucosa lining the vaginal walls secrete fluid for lubrication during sexual activity. It is wrongly believed that vagina is an open tunnel, where in fact it’s a collapsed structure that does not let water enter during bathing or swimming.
The Cervix & Uterus
Being the lower most component of the uterus, the cervix is shaped like a narrow, cylindrical canal, the upper aspect of it leading into the body of the uterus - called the internal os, and the lower end protruding into the upper third portion of the vaginal canal - called the external os. The body of the cervix is known as isthmus and it is here where microscopic glandular crypts are situated. These crypts are the main factories of cervical mucus/fluid production, which many women can relate to when they are having moist and slippery discharge during the fertile days of their cycles.
This is the reason why the cervix demands an esteemed acknowledgement because of the critical role it plays both in fertility awareness based methods, as well as for drawing a substantial amount of attention and interest during childbirth.
The uterus, sporting a humble size of a small fist, should not deceive you into thinking that it’s some ordinary organ. It’s where human life begins and flourishes. Its amazingly strong and contractible muscular layers not only provide nourishment to the baby, but when time is right, work in concert with the hormonal milieu to send the baby out into the world too. The innermost layer - the endometrium - is what that sloughs off typically every month to mark the beginning of your menstrual flow. And to remind you that your feminine characteristics make you beautiful, inside and out!
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Thank you Sumreen! Bless you dear. SubhaanAllah this topic was on my mind this morning as i was helping my girl in the bathroom. As a mother i would like her to have the right knowledge about her body and its needs at the right time instead of getting misguided by others.