vulva

vulva In medical terminology the word ‘vulva’ is used to describe the female external genitalia, namely the mons pubis, the labia majora, the labia minora, the clitoris, the vestibule, the vestibular bulb, and the greater vestibular gland. The word vulva comes from the Latin vulva, which translates as ‘a wrapper’ (or ‘the womb’).

By the end of the sixteenth century the vulva no longer meant womb and it had already become an external organ, as described by Vicary in his Anatomy when he observed that ‘By it goes forth the vrin, or els it should be shed through out at the vulva’. In the early seventeenth century, Crooke in the Body of Man described ‘The last dissimilar part of the womb is called of some vulva’ and Salmon in 1694 in Bate's Dispensary advised to ‘Anoint the vulva and womb with this mixture.’

Being oestrogen-dependent, the vulva undergoes several physiological changes during the different stages of life. In infancy the vulva is hairless and the labia majora and mons pubis (the central prominence above the labia are composed of fatty subcutaneous tissue which diminishes during childhood, but then appears again at puberty. At this stage the coarse pubic hair grows and covers this area. Then later, after the menopause, the vulval skin becomes thinner and much drier. The labia minora shrink, the adipose tissue reduces, and the vaginal orifice becomes smaller. At this stage the labia can often become irritated and this can produce discomfort. This can be a common cause of infection and dermatologic conditions in post-menopausal and elderly women.

The vulval skin suffers from diseases common to all skin such as eczema, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, and malignant lesions such as squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma.

Linda Cardozo, and Vik Khullar