“A Whole Other Hole”…the wonders of the female anatomy

I was at a women’s networking event last week and the conversation led to the new season of Orange Is the New Black, the hot Netflix series that takes place in a women’s prison.  If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do.
The show really explores so many female and human psyche topics, which is inevitable with an almost all female cast.  But, it also goes places where no other show dares to go.  Which brings us to the topic of the blog and the title of  Season 2, Episode 4:  A Whole Other Hole.
In this episode one of the inmates develops an invention that will allow her to urinate while standing up simply by placing the wide part of a funnel-like device over her “pee hole”.  The narrow part of the funnel is then connected to a tube that will drain the urine into the toilet as she stands over it–apparently the toilet seats in prison are very cold in the morning.
(Genius! I thought,  I was one of those girls who always tried peeing standing up, only to end up with with urine soaked jeans and wet socks–yuck!)
Her description led one of the women to ask why the need for the funnel?–why not just stick the tube inside (she motions and we all get what she means…)–this sets half the women laughing and the other half agreeing!!  The inventor responds—“No, you see you have two separate holes down there,  your main coochi hole–your vagina, then above that there’s a little hole, your pee hole!”  Well this is shocking news for many of the women who exclaim “You mean we don’t pee from the same hole!”,  ” I thought it was all like a cave inside another cave?!”
This conversation has come up plenty of times before and after the show.  So naturally it led me to think what a great idea for a blog! Where there is one woman who doesn’t know her holes there are many!  And I don’t like to miss out on an opportunity to educate, engage, and empower!
So grab your hand mirrors ladies…”Funday Friday” is all about getting to know your vagina “holes” and the wonders of the female anatomy!
vulva pic
 
As
you can see in the image, we actually have three openings “down there”– if we include our anus or rectum.
The area between the anus and the vagina is called your perineum.
The opening to your vagina is called your introitus and is closest to your perineum and nearest to your rectum.
On either side of your vagina are the labia or “lips”.  
There are labia majora (large lips) which are the bigger hair containing lips on the outside of your vagina, in order to see your labia minora (small lips) you have to spread the labia majora out and you will notice the smaller mostly hairless labia on the inside.
At the top of the vagina and where your labia minora meet on top you will find your clitoris.  Feel free to explore this area for a while as it has several nerve endings and can be quite pleasurable…
The urethra, which is the tube that connects your bladder to the outside–or more eloquently–“your pee hole”–is in-between the vagina and the clitoris.
As you can see, our anatomy is quite unique in that there is a lot going on in a small space.
This can often be a setup for disaster.
For example, because our rectum is so close to the urethra, it is easy for bacteria to find its way there and make its way to the bladder causing a urinary tract infection.
This is especially the case during intercourse which can push bacteria into our short urethra (1.5-2 inches long).
Solution:  it’s ok to cuddle after sex, as long as you get up and urinate soon after!  Urinating soon after sex flushes out some of the bacteria that made its way from your rectum to your bladder during sex and can prevent a UTI!
Your vagina is made up of several layers of muscles.  These muscles provide the pelvic floor support for your uterus, bladder, and rectum.  Therefore if these muscles become weakened, then these organs lose there support and can begin to prolapse or herniate into the vagina.
This can cause symptoms such as urinary or fecal incontinence.  Conditions that can weaken the vaginal musculature include smoking, vaginal childbirth and the loss of estrogen that occurs after menopause.
Solution:  It’s never too early to do your kegels!  Treat your vagina muscles just like any other muscle in your body and work it out!  Here’s how you know you are doing it correctly: when you urinate, try to stop the flow of urine midstream.  Then, during the day tighten those same muscles you used in sets of 5 then 10, do them while you watch TV, drive, write your blog…  In the words of Method Man “keep it tight alright”
So now that you are familiar with your holes, where they are, what they do, and the problems they can cause….I challenge you to take a closer look.
Maybe you knew all about the urethra, clitoris, and vagina—but when was the last time you took a good look at them?
As Sophia, the transgender inmate in Orange Is the New Black, puts it–“get to know your cha-cha” ladies!