Human Sexuality Terms From Chapter 3 Of Human Sexuality

Front 1

Anatomy

Back 1

The systematic study of the structure of an organism's body and the names and relationships of its various parts.

Front 2

Physiology

Back 2

The systematic study of the function and interrelationships of the major organ systems of animals and plants.

Front 3

Endocrinology

Back 3

Study of the glands that make and secrete hormones into the circulatory system.

Front 4

Vulva

Back 4

Another term for a woman's external genitalia, everything a woman sees when using a mirror for genital self-examination.

Front 5

Mons veneris

Back 5

A small compact cushion of fat located on the top of a woman's pubic bone.

Front 6

Labia majora

Back 6

Prominent skin folds lateral to the vestibule.

Front 7

Labia minora

Back 7

Delicate, soft skin folds surrounding the opening to the vagina.

Front 8

Clitoris

Back 8

A female homologue of the penis that carries information from erotic stimuli into the central nervous system. Its tip is the glans.

Front 9

Glans

Back 9

The name for the tip of a woman's clitoris.

Front 10

Gynecology

Back 10

The medical specialty concerned with the health of a woman's sexual and reprodoctive organs as well as the diagnosis and treatment of maladies affecting them.

Front 11

Vestibule

Back 11

Smooth tissue surrounding a woman's urethral opening.

Front 12

Urethra

Back 12

The short passageway that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.

Front 13

Introitus

Back 13

Area immediately adjacent to the opening of the vagina.

Front 14

Hymen

Back 14

Thin layer of tissure that often covers the opening to the vagina before first intercourse.

Front 15

Perineum

Back 15

Small patch of very smooth skin extending from the vaginal opening to the anus.

Front 16

Vestibular bulbs

Back 16

Bodies located alongside the opening to the vagina. These become engorged with blood during sexual arousal.

Front 17

Bartholin's glands

Back 17

Small glands located on each side of the opening to the vagina. Their function is not clearly understood.

Front 18

Vagina

Back 18

A collapsed sleeve of tissue composed of muscle, connective tissue, and mucous membrane layers. it is a woman's primary organ of sexual intercourse, a passageway for the elimination of menstrual discharge, the arrival point for incoming semen during intercourse, and the birth canal during vaginal birth.

Front 19

Uterus

Back 19

A large hollow multilayered muscle in which the fertilized egg implants itself and begins to grow into an embryo and then a fetus; also known as a woman's womb.

Front 20

Fallopian tubes

Back 20

Tubes connecting the uterus with the area around each ovary. They open directly into the abdominal cavity.

Front 21

Ovaries

Back 21

A woman's gonads, or sex cell producing glands.

Front 22

Menstruation

Back 22

The relatively regular sloughing off of the endometrium and the vaginal bleeding that accompanies it.

Front 23

Pituitary gland

Back 23

The body's "master endocrine gland," which coordinated the activities of all other endocrine glands.

Front 24

Areola

Back 24

The area of a woman's breast surrounding the nipple.

Front 25

Glans

Back 25

The name for the tip of a man's penis.

Front 26

Frenulum

Back 26

The part of the penis connecting the ventral portion of the glans with the underside of the shaft. One of the most sensitive parts of the penis.

Front 27

Urologist

Back 27

A medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the excretory system and urinary tract in both women and men.

Front 28

Andrologist

Back 28

A medical specialist who evaluates and treats men's fertility problems.

Front 29

Penis

Back 29

The male organ for sexual intercourse; also an excretory structure facilitating urination.

Front 30

Copora cavernosa

Back 30

Two expandable spongy cylindrical bodies composing the interior of the penis. These become engorged with blood during erection.

Front 31

Corpora spongiosum

Back 31

An expandable spongy cylindrical body inside the penis that surround the urethra.

Front 32

Coronal ridge

Back 32

The crease separating the glans from the shaft of the penis

Front 33

Foreskin

Back 33

In uncircumsized males, a loose fold of skin that covers part of the glans.

Front 34

Circumcision

Back 34

Surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis covering the glans.

Front 35

Scrotum

Back 35

The soft skin sac containing the testes.

Front 36

Seminiferous tubules

Back 36

A long, fine network of tubules in the testes. Spermatogenesis occurs in the walls of these tubules.

Front 37

Testosterone

Back 37

Male sex hormone. Testosterone is a form of androgen.

Front 38

Spermatogenesis

Back 38

The process of cellular division by which sperm are produced in the testes.

Front 39

Epididymis

Back 39

A comma-shaped structure located along the posterior surface of each testis. Sperm are temporarily stored here.

Front 40

Vas deferens

Back 40

The tubule that carries mature sperm from the testes to the ejaculatory ducts.

Front 41

Vasectomy

Back 41

A surgical procedure involving the surgical sectioning of the vas deferens, making it impossible for sperm to leave the body during ejaculation. It should be thought of as permanent, although surgical reversal is sometimes possible.

Front 42

Seminal vesicles

Back 42

Glands that lie along the posterior portion of the bladder. These produce fluids that combine with sperm in the ejaculatory ducts.

Front 43

Prostate gland

Back 43

A gland at the base of a man's bladder, surrounding the urethra. It secretes fluids that combined with sperm help neutralize the acidic environment inside the vagina. It is composed of both glandular and muscular tissues.

Front 44

Cowper's glands

Back 44

Located on the underside of the prostate, these glands secrete a substance into the urethra during sexual arousal and are thought to lubricate the inside of the urethra.