EXTERNAL GENITALIA (VULVA)

LABIA MAJORA

Location: lateral boundaries of urogenital cleft.

Composition:

• stratified squamous epithelium. The outer surface is covered with hair, the inner surface is devoid of hear
• numerous sebaceous and sweat glands
• thin layer of smooth muscle and a large amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue

LABIA MINORA

Location: hairless folds of skin that border the vestibule

Composition:

• stratified squamous epithelium with abundant melanin pigment
• loose connective tissue with blood vessels and fine elastic fibers
• sebaceous glands

CLITORIS

Composition:

• thin skin with numerous sensory nerve endings
• two erectile bodies, the corpora cavernosa with vascular sinuses and arteriovenous shunts

VESTIBULE

Composition:

• stratified squamous epithelium
• lesser vestibular glands (Skene's glands), small mucous tubular glands near clitoris
• greater vestibular glands (Bartholin's glands), compound tubuloalveolar mucous glands are lined by the simple columnar epithelium, are situated near the vaginal opening