There is one hole in the vagina itself, but the area between your legs has three separate openings: the urethral opening (where urine comes out), the vaginal opening, and the anus. Much of the confusion around this question comes from the fact that people use “vagina” to refer to the entire genital area, when the vagina is actually just one part of it. The external genital area is called the vulva, and the vagina is a canal inside your body whose opening sits within the vulva.
Three Openings, Front to Back
If you looked at the vulvar area from front to back, the three openings appear in this order:
- Urethral opening: A tiny hole located below the clitoris and just in front of the vaginal opening. This is where urine exits your body. It connects to the bladder through a short tube called the urethra.
- Vaginal opening: The middle and largest of the three. This is the entrance to the vaginal canal, a muscular tube that leads up to the cervix and uterus. Menstrual blood flows out through it, and it’s also the passage for childbirth and sexual intercourse.
- Anus: Located at the back, separated from the vaginal opening by a small patch of skin called the perineum. In females, the perineum averages about 1.5 inches long.
These three openings serve completely different body systems. The urethral opening is part of the urinary tract, the vaginal opening is part of the reproductive system, and the anus is part of the digestive system. They don’t connect to each other internally.
The Vaginal Opening Up Close
The vaginal opening, sometimes called the introitus, sits between the inner folds of skin known as the labia minora. It’s partially covered by a thin piece of tissue called the hymen, which is left over from fetal development. The hymen doesn’t seal the vagina shut. In most people, it’s a ring or crescent of tissue around the edges of the opening that allows menstrual blood and other fluids to pass through normally.
Hymens come in several shapes. An annular hymen surrounds the opening like a donut. A crescentic hymen sits along the bottom edge like a crescent moon. Less commonly, a septate hymen has an extra strip of tissue down the middle, making it look like there are two openings instead of one. A cribriform hymen has many small holes rather than one central opening. In rare cases, an imperforate hymen completely covers the vaginal opening and needs medical attention because it blocks menstrual flow.
What’s at the Top of the Vaginal Canal
The vaginal canal is roughly 3 to 7 inches long and ends at the cervix, the lower portion of the uterus. The cervix has its own small opening called the cervical os. During a pelvic exam, it looks like a firm, rounded structure with a tiny slit in the center.
This opening plays different roles depending on what’s happening in your body. During your period, it opens slightly to let menstrual blood flow out. During conception, sperm must travel through it to reach the uterus. During pregnancy, it stays tightly closed and forms a mucus plug that seals off the uterus to protect the fetus. Then during labor, it gradually softens, thins, and widens (dilates) to allow delivery.
The cervical os is not an opening you can see or feel from the outside, but it’s worth knowing about because it’s often what people are picturing when they wonder whether the vagina has an “exit” at the top. It does, but it’s extremely narrow under normal circumstances, too small for a tampon or other objects to pass through into the uterus.
Smaller Openings You Can’t See
Beyond the three main openings, there are a few tiny gland ducts in the vulvar area that are nearly invisible to the naked eye. The Skene’s glands are two small glands located on either side of the urethral opening. They have microscopic openings that release small amounts of fluid, but you wouldn’t be able to spot them without magnification.
Bartholin’s glands sit on either side of the vaginal opening, closer to the back. They also have tiny ducts that secrete fluid to help with lubrication. You’d never notice these openings unless one became blocked and swollen, forming a cyst.
These gland openings aren’t what most people mean when they ask about “holes,” but they do exist as functional parts of the anatomy.
Why “Vagina” and “Vulva” Get Mixed Up
The vagina is specifically the internal canal. The vulva is everything on the outside: the labia, clitoris, urethral opening, vaginal opening, and the surrounding skin. In everyday conversation, “vagina” is used as a catch-all for the entire area, which is why someone might ask how many holes “the vagina” has when they really mean the vulvar region.
This distinction matters for more than just vocabulary. If you’re experiencing pain, irritation, or unusual symptoms, being able to identify which opening or structure is affected helps you describe it accurately. The urethral opening, vaginal opening, and the tissue around them can each have their own issues, and knowing the basic layout makes it easier to understand what’s going on with your body.