Women's Anatomy and Physiology Quiz Answers

This educational content is designed to help you get the most out of your intimate relationships. By "relationship" we mean the dating, mating, and sex game -- that fun activity we spend so much energy on!

When our ancient ancestors started walking upright on two legs the pelvis had to be relatively narrow to prevent walking and running like a duck with a swinging hind end. Therefore when humans' brains increased in size as thinking processes increased, there were problems during birth because the big head got stuck in the mother's pelvis bones. Through natural selection the human babies that were born early before their head was fully grown survived. After eons of trials, and uncountable loses of mother and child, the highest survival rate for births now has many compromises. The human baby emerges from the mother in approximately 9 months even though it is not fully developed. A gestation period of 15 months would be more in keeping with how long other primates develop their babies before giving birth.

Because of human babies' early birth, they are the most helpless of all primates when born and require immediate care and protection. By delaying birth until the latest possible time the baby's oblong head must be rotated at three places along the birth canal in order to pass through the mother's pelvis bones. By the time the baby emerges, it has rotated 180 degrees and is facing to the mother's rear.

Unlike all other primate babies, in facing this rear position it is impossible for the mother to extract the baby herself without bending the baby's spine backward and causing serious injury or death. Therefore it is essential that women have assistance during birth. This is not required by many of the other primates giving birth.

All other primates except women give birth to their baby easily and in a relatively short time because the baby's head is smaller than the mother's pelvis birth canal. Women give birth to babies whose head is often even bigger than her pelvis bone birth canal. Only with much strong breathing and pushing from the mother, some turning at the proper three places in the birth canal, and the baby's skull bones willingness to bend and displace, does the baby usually survive getting out into the world. Women require considerable help from a doctor or midwife to give birth and it often takes many hours. No other primate has so much difficulty giving birth.

This is all because we humans have evolved a smarter brain by adding an outer layer, but that requires a larger skull. In order for this large head to get out of the mother before it is too large to pass through her pelvis bone birth canal, human's are born prematurely. We humans really need another approximately 6 months in the womb to become fully developed. That is why human infants require so much care, whereas other primates are born ready to walk and nurse without help.

This bundle of nerve cells is present in most female mammals. In human females it is a visible button-like portion of tissue located near the front junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. It is much like a small male penis in tissue and structure but does not contain the urethra like in the male. However, the female urethra is located a short distance below it and just above the vagina.

A woman's "love button" contains the largest concentration of nerves anywhere in her body: Approximately 8000. A man's penis head contains half as many nerves. About all that is normally visible of this bundle of sensitive nerves is a small pink knob, approximately the size of a pencil eraser. But underneath is a base of sensitive erectile tissue. This allows the bud-like bundle of sensitive cells to expand and extend out from the fold of skin normally covering it.

The outer portion extends during stimulation and has been much researched by both professionals and amateurs. Reports of the extended length outside the body vary from a fraction of an inch to approximately 6 cm (2.5 inches). There are reports that bigger is better for stimulation ease and effectiveness.

One researcher's ultrasound image scan of an apparently normal total structure, inside and outside the body, measured 9 cm (3.54 inches), 75 % was inside the woman's body. Surprising to the researcher and the owner, the inner portion tissue wrapped partially around the vagina. This may explain something about the illusive "G-spot". (How does one become a researcher?)

The base of this bud-like bundle of nerves is often the best place to gently stimulate during sexual activity, but be sure whatever you use is wet and slippery. At times when it is stimulated it becomes so sensitive that the slightest touch can seem painful. However, when the pressure, lubrication, and rubbing are just right, those 8000 nerves can make a woman feel fantastic, especially when her other senses of taste, touch, and smell are pleasantly stimulated at the same time. (Guys, if you can't find it, ask for directions and also what to do with it after you locate it!)

This bundle of nerves in a woman functions solely to induce sexual pleasure. The only known exception to this is in the Spotted Hyena, or Laughing Hyena, a mammal living in grassland savannas in Africa. In this species, the urogenital system is unique in that the female urinates, mates and gives birth via an enlarged, erectile mass of cells. (Are the hyenas laughing at women because of their tiny structure?)

The deep breaths will take in more oxygen that is necessary to make all the great feeling hormones racing throughout the body. Additionally, the deep breathing will focus the mind internally. The internal focus will bring attention to where the action is, instead of worrying about the partner, neighbors listening, or time schedule.

Inside the female body, just behind the pubic bone, there is gland tissue that is the same as the male prostate gland tissue. This is highly sensitive tissue inside the woman and has been named the "G spot". Unfortunately, the "G spot" is seldom stimulated by the penis during sex done in the frontal position. Perhaps our ancient ancestors who approached their women from the rear reached it better and did a more effective job of stimulation.

With a little exploration and practice, manual manipulation of this tissue can bring a woman a wonderful explosive pleasure. This is called a vaginal orgasm and is different than the other more frequent type. Additionally, and maybe surprisingly, during a vaginal orgasm there may be a small spurt of fluid similar to men's prostate fluid released, less the sperm. This fluid has been analyzed and is not urine nor vaginal secretions, but is a true female ejaculation from a gland called Skeen's Gland. There is no known purpose for Skeen's Gland but it is homologous with the prostate gland in males.

Since modern humans have been doing there sex from the front, a position where the penis does not directly stimulate this tissue, knowledge of this female ejaculation phenomena has been nearly lost. If you want to add some new life to your bedroom play, explore this part of the female body. It was named after the German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg who first re-discovered its existence in 1944. (I wonder what he was doing and looking for when he found it?)

This is information that has questionable value but thought you ought to know. The reason for the greater distance from genitals to belly button is due to the extra baby-making machinery women carry around since puberty. It greatly pleases most men to see a flat belly with a navel staring at them above the shorts or skirt belt line. Some times it winks at them when she walks past, and that is always a nice treat that makes men forget where they were going.

In some areas of women's bodies, such as the face, women have twice as many nerves as men. Also women's skin is thinner than men's, although a layer of fat under women's skin makes it appear thicker. Even though women have more skin nerves, men's and women's pain tolerance varies considerably and may be influenced by expectations and cultural conditioning.

"Men are tough", is often a general description of men that has some basis in fact concerning external violations of men's skin. Insensitivity to physical pain probably helped men's ancient ancestors better survive the harsh environment, animal attacks, and injuries from fighting each other. Those men who were most sensitive to physical pain more often suffered shock and died, and did not produce as many offspring to pass-on their "sensitivity" genes.

Women have a lower incidence of all forms of skin cancer than men (this applies specifically to Caucasian men in the United States). This could be due to the fact than women are not outside unprotected from the sun as much as men are. Women are more likely to have hats, makeup, sunscreen, etc.

Women's most sensitive areas of skin are these:

• Hands
• Lips
• Ears.
• Neck
• Nipples and Breasts
• Navel and stomach
• Inner sides of thighs
• Behind the knees
• Feet

The second purpose for women's breasts appears to be a species and gender identifier. Larger than necessary female breasts can most likely be blamed on men's ancestor's preference for these parts of the female anatomy. In fact, it seems that the hemispherical shape in numerous places on the female body, such as the buttocks, shoulders, and cheeks, was prized and selected for through natural selection by most ancient male ancestors. Female ancestors with these male preferred characteristics had more offspring.

It is obvious that women today recognize the value of breasts as signals of femininity. A multimillion dollar breast enhancement industry is thriving. Since 1963, saline and silicone implants have been used to provide women with perfectly shaped hemispherical breasts. This fact says much about how many women feel inadequate because of their small breast size or shape.

One of the reasons males may be so attracted to female breasts is chemical. There are apocrine glands around the female nipple, as well as under the arms and in the pubic area, that secrete erotic odors. These female odors cause men's brains to release an avalanche of male sex hormones that make men feel strong, pain-free, and excited.

Men use their eyes mostly to select a mate. Women use their nose! Recent research reveals women are more influenced by how a man smells than how he looks. It is all done unconsciously and is based on the subtle chemical odors related to men's immune system. Women instinctively are attracted to men with an immune system most different to their own. Evolutionarily, this has proven to be the best combination for strong health and best survival of offspring. This also explains why young women are so turned-off by their brothers!

Scientists have identified a range of subtle chemicals and odors associated with men's immune system. These odors, called pheromones, are secreted by men's skin. In tests, women were able to use these pheromones to sort men with similar immune systems from men with very different immune systems. They did this even when the chemical odors were not detectable consciously. Men could not do the same test and scored the same as if flipping a coin.

The evolutionary wisdom in women's heightened smelling ability and preferred male smell is evident. Historically, women who selected men with the most different immune system produced children with an immune system that had the most defenses against the hazards to good health and survival.

Breast size does not reveal how ready a woman is to go to the caveman's cave for a roll in the rocks. Sexual desire is primarily orchestrated by the brain releasing chemicals into the blood. How sexy a women feels depends mostly on many outside influences affecting her thoughts about herself, her partner, the past, the present, and the future. Sex is much more complicated for women than for men because of the consequences of getting pregnant.

Female breasts are the true evolutionary sign of a woman but women have lost any indicators for when they are fertile. Some female primates signal when they are ready for mating by displaying their rump which turns red when they are fertile. Their rump is very obvious since they walk on all fours. However, since humans started walking on two legs, their rump has become hidden from others approaching from the front. Therefore women evolved another identifier for advertising their gender (but not fertility): hemispherical breasts shaped much like hemispherical buttocks. Most modern men will get neck whip-lash trying to get a second glimpse of well formed female breasts even at a distance. A million years ago on the African Savanna a man could easily identify a nude woman from a distance by her hemispherical breasts. (That may be the period in human evolution where men and women learned to run on two legs.)

Movies, television shows, and magazines have created an unrealistic standard for how the ideal female body should look. Most women surveyed were unhappy with how their body looked to men. Most felt that their breasts were either too big or too small. Many women looking for a mate depend a lot on their breasts to get a man's attention. Women know what works with most men!

Breast size has nothing to do with desire but when breast cancer treatment leads to a change in breast size, insecurity can be magnified. It is common for breast cancer survivors to wonder whether they will ever feel attractive or confident about their bodies again. A change in breast appearance can lead to self-doubts about sexuality. These doubts can turn into self-fulfilling prophesies if they keep a woman from relaxing, getting undressed, and enjoying intimacy with her partner. The good news is that neither surgery nor radiation therapy physically decreases a woman's ability to feel sexual desire, lubricate vaginally, or reach orgasm.

It must be pointed out that her lips are most sensitive during foreplay, but as things get hotter later, her interest goes south to her breasts and genitals. (Men take notes on the route to follow so you don't have to ask for directions!)

The ancient origin of kissing goes back to our ancestors who use to pre-chew food for infants and pass it on to them lovingly mouth-to-mouth. This appears to have been performed for a long evolutionary period and increased lip sensitivity and desire to make mouth-to-mouth contact with one you love.

Although now there is no need for mothers to pre-chew a chunk of mastodon for her child, mothers get great satisfaction in kissing, smelling, and tasting their child's body. Most women also engage in a lot of oral contact with their lover's body parts with great satisfaction. Men like that!

Probably few men or women have taken the time to check this out during orgasm. Shortly before and during female orgasm there appears a measles-like rash on a woman's breasts and chest, and often even on her neck and face. This occurred in 75% of the women surveyed. Men also exhibited a similar rash to some degree but it only occurred in 25% of the men monitored.

Other changes were noted in women during orgasm, also.

• The breasts filled with more blood and expanded up to 25% larger.
• The breasts became more sensitive and responsive to skin-on-skin hugging and rubbing.
• The areola patches around the nipple swelled and the nipple became more erect and sensitive.

And yes, there was some screaming and biting. How do you get a research job like that?!

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