Back to You & Your Body

GIRLS' BODIES

OUTSIDE

The vulva is the whole genital area. Many girls do not know what their vulva looks like because it is hard to see. One way to see the vulva is to look in a mirror held between the legs. This is what you will see:

The MONS PUBIS is the soft, fatty part of the genitals where the pubic hair grows.

The Labia are the lips of the vagina. The vagina has both inner and outer lips.

The CLITORIS is an organ with many nerves. It is very sensitive to touch.

The HYMEN is a thin piece of skin stretched across the opening of the vagina. Some girls are born without a hymen.

The URETHRA is the opening where the urine comes out.

The PERINEUM is the space between the vagina and anus.

The ANUS is the opening in the body where solid waste (bowel movement) comes out.

INSIDE

The OVARIES are the glands where the eggs (ova) are stored.

The FALLOPIAN TUBES are the tubes that carry an egg from the ovary to the uterus.

The UTERUS (WOMB) is the place inside a woman where a baby grows the menstrual period also comes from the uterus.

The CERVIX is the part of uterus that extends into the vagina. The opening to the uterus is in the cervix.

The VAGINA is the passage from the uterus to outside the body.