Glands located on the anterior wall of the vagina
"Periurethral glands" redirects here. For the male periurethral glands, see
Urethral gland .
In female human anatomy , Skene's glands or the Skene glands ( SKEEN , also known as the lesser vestibular glands or paraurethral glands [ 1] ) are glands located around the lower end of the urethral meatus . The glands are surrounded by tissue that swells with blood during sexual arousal , and secrete a fluid from openings near the urethra, particularly during orgasm .
Structure and function
The Skene's glands' openings are located in the vestibule of the vulva , around the lower end of the urethra .[ 2] The two Skene's ducts lead from the Skene's glands to the vulvar vestibule, to the left and right of the urethral opening , from which they are structurally capable of secreting fluid.[ 2] [ 3] Although there remains debate about the function of the Skene's glands, one purpose is to secrete a fluid that helps lubricate the urethral opening.[ 2] [ 3]
Skene's glands produce a milk-like ultrafiltrate of blood plasma . The glands may be the source of female ejaculation ,[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] but this has not been proven.[ 4] Because they and the male prostate act similarly by secreting prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is an ejaculate protein produced in males, and prostate-specific acid phosphatase , some authors refer to the Skene's glands as the "female prostate".[ 3] [ 5] [ 6] They are homologous to the male prostate (developed from the same embryological tissues),[ 7] but the homology is still a matter of research.[ 8] Female ejaculate may result from sexual activity for some women, especially during orgasm .[ 3] [ 4] In addition to PSA and acid phosphatase, Skene's gland fluid contains high concentrations of glucose and fructose .[ 3]
In an amount of a few milliliters , fluid is secreted from these glands when stimulated from inside the vagina .[ 9] [ 10] Female ejaculation and squirting (secretion of large amounts of fluid) are believed by researchers to be two different processes. They may occur in combination during orgasm. Squirting alone is a sudden expulsion of liquid that at least partly comes from the bladder and contains urine, whereas ejaculation fluid includes a whitish transparent ejaculate that appears to come from the Skene's gland.[ 3] [ 11]
Clinical significance
A Skene's duct cyst, pressing the urethral opening towards the right side of the image
Disorders of the Skene's glands may include:
History
While the glands were first described in 1672 by Regnier de Graaf and by the French surgeon Alphonse Guérin (1816–1895),[ 15] they were named after the Scottish gynaecologist Alexander Skene , who wrote about it in Western medical literature in 1880.[ 16] [ 17] [ 18] In 2002,[ 19] the term female prostate as a second term after paraurethral gland was added in Terminologia Histologica by the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology . The 2008 edition notes that the term was introduced "because of the morphological and immunological significance of the structure".[ 20]
Other animals
Horses , dogs , sheep , and pigs are examples of other mammals that have these glands (minor vestibular glands).[ 21]
See also
References
^ "paraurethral glands" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ a b c Rodriguez FD, Camacho A, Bordes SJ, Gardner B, Levin RJ, Tubbs RS (2020). "Female ejaculation: An update on anatomy, history, and controversies" . Clinical Anatomy . 34 (1): 103–107. doi :10.1002/ca.23654 . PMID 32681804 . S2CID 220634920 . Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2020 . {{cite journal }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ a b c d e f g Pastor Z, Chmel R (2017). "Differential diagnostics of female 'sexual' fluids: a narrative review" . International Urogynecology Journal . 29 (5): 621–629. doi :10.1007/s00192-017-3527-9 . PMID 29285596 . S2CID 5045626 .
^ a b c Greenberg, Jerrold S.; Bruess, Clint E.; Oswalt, Sara B. (2014). Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality . Jones & Bartlett Publishers . pp. 102–104. ISBN 978-1449648510 . Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2018 .
^ a b Bullough, Vern L.; Bullough, Bonnie (2014). Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia . Routledge . p. 231. ISBN 978-1135825096 . Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2018 .
^ Diane Tomalty, Olivia Giovannetti et al.: Should We Call It a Prostate? A Review of the Female Periurethral Glandular Tissue Morphology, Histochemistry, Nomenclature, and Role in Iatrogenic Sexual Dysfunction . In: Sexual Medicine Reviews . Volume 10, Issue 2, April 2022, page 183–194.
^ Arulkumaran, Sabaratnam; Ledger, William; Doumouchtsis, Stergios; Denny, Lynette (December 2019). Oxford Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology . Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198766360 .
^ Toivanen R, Shen MM (2017). "Prostate organogenesis: tissue induction, hormonal regulation and cell type specification" . Development . 144 (8): 1382–1398. doi :10.1242/dev.148270 . PMC 5399670 . PMID 28400434 .
^ Castleman, Michael (2 January 2014). "Female ejaculation: What's known and unknown" . Psychology Today . Retrieved 8 May 2017 .
^ Heath, Desmond (1984). "An investigation into the origins of a copious vaginal discharge during intercourse: 'Enough to wet the bed' – that 'is not urine' " . The Journal of Sex Research . 20 (2). Taylor & Francis : 194–215. doi :10.1080/00224498409551217 . JSTOR 3812351 .
^ Salama, Samuel; Boitrelle, Florence; Gauquelin, Amélie; Malagrida, Lydia; Thiounn, Nicolas; Desvaux, Pierre (1 March 2015). "Nature and origin of 'squirting' in female sexuality" . The Journal of Sexual Medicine . 12 (3): 661–666. doi :10.1111/jsm.12799 . ISSN 1743-6095 . PMID 25545022 .
^ Gittes, R F; Nakamura, R M (May 1996). "Female urethral syndrome. A female prostatitis?" . Western Journal of Medicine . 164 (5): 435–438. PMC 1303542 . PMID 8686301 .
^ Itani M, Kielar A, Menias CO, Dighe MK, Surabhi V, Prasad SR; et al. (2016). "MRI of female urethra and periurethral pathologies" . Int Urogynecol J . 27 (2): 195–204. doi :10.1007/s00192-015-2790-x . PMID 26209954 . S2CID 26054797 . {{cite journal }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Kissinger, Patricia (5 August 2015). "Trichomonas vaginalis: a review of epidemiologic, clinical and treatment issues" . BMC Infectious Diseases . 15 : 307. doi :10.1186/s12879-015-1055-0 . PMC 4525749 . PMID 26242185 .
^ de Graaf, Regnier (1672). De Mulierum Organis Generationi Inservientibus (in Latin). Leiden.
^ Skene, Alexander J. C. (April 1880). "The anatomy and pathology of two important glands of the female urethra" . The American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children . 13 : 265–70.
^ Skene's glands at Who Named It?
^ Skene's ducts at Who Named It?
^ Hornstein, Theresa; Schwerin, Jeri Lynn (2013). Biology of women . Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-285-40102-7 . OCLC 911037670 . Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
^ Terminologia Histologica: International Terms for Human Cytology and Histology . Lippincott Williams & Wilkins . 2008. p. 65. ISBN 978-0781766104 . Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2020 .
^ Leibich, Hans-Georg (2019). Veterinary Histology of Domestic Mammals and Birds: Textbook and Colour Atlas . 5m Publishing Limited. pp. 14–30. ISBN 978-1-78918-106-7 .
Further reading