Women have three openings in the pelvic area: the urethra, the vagina, and the anus. If you count every opening on the entire body, including the mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes, the total comes to nine. But most people searching this question want to understand the three openings between the legs, so let’s start there.
The Three Pelvic Openings
All three openings are located close together but belong to completely different body systems and serve different purposes. From front to back, they are:
- The urethral opening is the smallest of the three. It sits just below the clitoris and in front of the vaginal opening. Its only job is to let urine leave the body. The female urethra is short, which is one reason urinary tract infections are more common in women.
- The vaginal opening sits between the urethral opening and the anus. It’s part of the reproductive system and serves multiple functions: menstrual blood exits through it, it’s the canal for childbirth, and it allows for penetrative sex. A thin piece of tissue called the hymen partially surrounds the opening, though its shape varies from person to person.
- The anus is the rearmost opening and belongs to the digestive system. Ring-shaped muscles called sphincters keep it closed. The inner sphincter relaxes automatically when the rectum is full, while the outer sphincter is under your conscious control.
A Common Point of Confusion
One of the most widespread misconceptions is that women urinate through the vagina. They don’t. The urethra and the vagina are entirely separate openings with separate internal pathways. The urethral opening is small and can be hard to see, which is part of why this confusion persists. It sits just above the vaginal opening, tucked below the clitoris. If you’ve never noticed it, that’s normal. It’s tiny compared to the vaginal opening and doesn’t draw attention to itself.
Smaller Openings You Can’t See
Beyond those three main openings, there are additional microscopic duct openings in the vulvar area that most people will never notice. Two sets are worth knowing about.
The Bartholin’s glands sit on either side of the vaginal opening, in the groove between the inner lips and the hymen. Each gland is only about half a centimeter in size and drains tiny drops of mucus through a duct about 2.5 centimeters long. These glands help with lubrication. Most people never think about them unless one becomes blocked and forms a cyst.
Skene’s glands are two small ducts on either side of the urethral opening. Their openings are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. These glands secrete fluid that lubricates the urethral opening during urination and may help prevent infections with antimicrobial properties. They also produce fluid during sexual arousal. Researchers believe Skene’s glands may be the source of female ejaculation, as the fluid they produce contains proteins similar to those found in semen.
Counting Every Opening on the Body
If you’re counting all visible openings on the female body from head to toe, the number is nine:
- Two nostrils for breathing and smell
- The mouth for eating, drinking, and breathing
- Two ear canals for hearing
- Two tear ducts (the tiny openings at the inner corners of the eyes that drain tears into the nasal passages)
- The urethra for urination
- The vagina for menstruation, childbirth, and intercourse
Adding the anus brings the total to nine. Men have eight, since they lack a vaginal opening and the urethra shares a pathway with the reproductive system.
How the Hymen Affects the Vaginal Opening
The hymen is a thin piece of tissue at the entrance of the vagina, and its shape varies significantly. In most people, it forms a ring that surrounds the opening without blocking it. Sometimes it only covers the bottom portion. In rare cases, called an imperforate hymen, the tissue covers the entire vaginal opening and can interfere with menstruation, requiring a minor procedure to correct. A septate hymen has an extra band of tissue running across the middle, giving the appearance of two openings where there is actually one. These variations are normal differences in anatomy, not abnormalities, though a fully closed hymen does need medical attention once menstruation begins.