What are the labia?

The distribution of reproductive organs between men and women is very different. For men, the penis is the most important part, while for women, the vagina has become the most important part. Moreover, the structure of the female vagina is also relatively complex. Take the labia for example. It is divided into labia majora and labia minora. The labia majora mainly plays a role in resisting bacterial invasion. Today's article will provide some basic knowledge about the labia for female friends.

One of the components of the female sexual organs is the labia, which are two pairs of lip-like tissues surrounding the vaginal opening. The larger pair on the outside is the labia majora, and the smaller pair on the inside is the labia minora. In addition to being very sensitive to sexual stimulation (especially the labia minora), they also have a protective function for the adjacent urethral opening and vaginal opening.

The labia minora is part of the female external genitalia. It is a pair of longitudinal skin and mucous membrane folds located between the labia majora on both sides.

The labia minora are soft, have no subcutaneous fat, are rich in sebaceous glands and sweat glands, and have a moist, smooth and hairless surface. There is a rich distribution of nerves under the mucosa, so the sensitivity is very keen.

The labia minora are thin, and their size and shape vary greatly from person to person. Some are not symmetrical, one side is bigger than the other side, which is normal.

In unmarried and married women who have not given birth, the labia minora are closed, which plays a role in protecting the vagina and internal reproductive organs and is part of the female natural defense function.

The front ends of the labia minora fuse together and are divided into two leaves. The front leaf surrounds the clitoris to form the clitoral hood, and the back leaf forms the clitoral frenulum. The posterior end of the labia minora merges with the posterior end of the labia majora, forming a fold in the midline, which is the frenulum of the labia, which is easily torn during childbirth.

The labia minora are located on the inside of the labia majora and are also skin folds. No pubic hair grows on them. Their surface is smooth, delicate, and elastic. They are mostly light red in color, moist like mucous membranes, and have sebaceous glands distributed on them. There are blood vessels, elastic fibers and a small amount of smooth muscles under the skin, as well as rich nerve distribution, and the senses are very acute. There are great individual differences in the shape and size of the labia minora. Some people's labia minora are very narrow, while others' are very long and hang down to the outside of the labia majora. Some are very thick, some are very thin, some are irregular umbrella-shaped; some are as big as a fingernail and are typical semicircular. Some people's labia minora are light pink; some are brown-red; some people's labia minora even have two colors, the outer side is brown-black, and the inner side is pink. Generally speaking, its color deepens with age and number of births. Women in some African tribes are proud of the length of their labia minora, so they pull it from a young age. As a result, their labia minora become thick and long when they grow up, protruding high beyond the labia majora. However, their size has no obvious effect on sexual response.

Regardless of whether they are nulliparous or multiparous, after they enter the sexual excitement period, their labia minora will become engorged and swollen, and their diameter will expand significantly, increasing to 2-3 times during the plateau period. As its diameter increases, it protrudes from the protective labia majora barrier, which will extend the effective length of the vaginal canal during sexual intercourse by at least 1 cm and help open the vaginal opening. Once the diameter increases, the labia minora are prepared for their most unique female sexual physiological response: color change. During the plateau phase, the labia minora of almost all women will show a bright color reaction. In nulliparous women, the red color changes from pink to bright red and spreads around the external opening of the vagina, including the clitoral hood. The color of the breast changes from bright red to dark purple in multiparous women. As a rule, the darker the color change of the labia minora, the more severe the varicose veins in the pelvis and labia majora. Because the color change during the plateau phase is so special, the labia minora in a state of sexual response is called "sexual skin." Pre-menopausal women who have reached a plateau level of sexual tension and experienced a change in the color of their "sexual skin" will experience an orgasm. To support the above argument, it must be assumed that the specific form of effective sexual stimulation that causes the change in sexual skin color continues without significant changes (the sexual skin mentioned here is specific and should not be confused with the changes in skin color during estrus in female monkeys and gorillas that people usually talk about). If orgasmic release cannot be achieved without effective sexual stimulation, the color change of the labia minora will fade rapidly, much faster than the increase in labia diameter caused by sexual tension.