The vaginal vestibule

The vestibule of the vagina (vestibulum vaginae) is bounded on the sides by the medial surfaces of the labia minora, below (behind) is the fossa of the vestibule of the vagina, above (in front) is the clitoris. In the depths of the vestibule is the unpaired opening of the vagina (ostium vaginae). In the vestibule of the vagina, between the clitoris in front and the entrance to the vagina behind, at the top of a small papilla opens the external opening of the urethra, as well as the ducts of the large and small vestibular glands.

The large vestibular gland (Bartholin's gland; glandula vestibularis major) is a paired gland similar to the bulbourethral gland in men. The large vestibular glands are located on each side at the base of the labia minora, behind the bulb of the vestibule. They secrete a mucus-like fluid that moistens the walls of the entrance to the vagina. These are alveolar-tubular glands, oval, the size of a pea or bean. The ducts of the large vestibular glands open at the base of the labia minora.

The minor vestibular glands (glandulae vestibulares minores) are located in the thickness of the walls of the vestibule of the vagina, where their ducts open.

The vestibular bulb (bulbus vestibuli) is identical in development and structure to the unpaired spongy body of the male penis. It is horseshoe-shaped, with a thinned middle part (between the external opening of the urethra and the clitoris). The lateral parts of the vestibular bulb are slightly flattened and are located at the base of the labia majora, adjoining their posterior ends to the large glands of the vestibule. On the outside, the vestibular bulb is covered with bundles of the bulbospongiosus muscle. On the medial side, the vestibular bulb is adjacent to the entrance to the vagina. The vestibular bulb consists of a dense plexus of veins surrounded by connective tissue and bundles of smooth muscle cells.