On this page
American Heritage Dictionary:
Bar·tho·lin's gland |
[After Caspar Bartholin (1585-1629), Danish physician.]
|
Featured Videos:
|
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
Bartholin's glands |
The major vestibular glands; two small glands, one in each wall of the vaginal vestibule of the cow, cat and occasionally the sheep that secrete mucus; their ducts open on either side of the urethral orifice. They secrete mucus, providing lubrication for coitus and for the passage of the fetus at birth. When cystic in the cow they are visible through the mucosa and are about 1 inch long and 0.5 inch wide. They are homologs of the bulbourethral glands in the male. Called also Tiedmann's or Duverney's gland, vulvovaginal gland.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Bartholin's gland |
| Bartholin's gland | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genital organs of female. |
|
| Latin | glandula vestibularis major |
| Gray's | subject #270 1266 |
| Artery | external pudendal artery[1] |
| Nerve | ilioinguinal nerve [1] |
| Lymph | superficial inguinal lymph nodes |
| Precursor | Urogenital sinus |
| MeSH | Bartholin's+Glands |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | Bartholin gland |
The Bartholin's glands (also called Bartholin glands or greater vestibular glands) are two glands located slightly posterior and to the left and right of the opening of the vagina. They secrete mucus to lubricate the vagina and are homologous to bulbourethral glands in males. However, while Bartholin's glands are located in the superficial perineal pouch in females, bulbourethral glands are located in the deep perineal pouch in males.
|
Contents
|
They secrete mucus to provide vaginal lubrication.[2][3] Bartholin's glands secrete relatively minute amounts (one or two drops) of fluid when a woman is sexually aroused.[4] The minute droplets of fluid were once believed to be important for lubricating the vagina, but research from Masters and Johnson demonstrated that vaginal lubrication comes from deeper within the vagina.[4] The fluid may slightly moisten the labial opening of the vagina, serving to make contact with this sensitive area more comfortable for the woman.[4]
Although unusual, it is possible for the Bartholin's glands to become irritated or infected, resulting in pain.[4] If the duct becomes obstructed, a Bartholin's cyst can develop, and a Bartholin's cyst in turn can become infected and form an abscess. Adenocarcinoma of the gland is rare, but benign tumors and hyperplasia are even more rare.[5]
Bartholin's glands were first described in the 17th century by the Danish anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Younger (1655–1738).[6] Some sources mistakenly ascribe their discovery to his grandfather, theologian and anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Elder (1585–1629).[7]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | 1629 (chronology) |
| Caspar Bartholin the Younger |
| Marsupialization |
 | How do you get a Bartholin\'s gland to break? Read answer... |
| Does a Bartholin\'s gland cyst have to be drained? Read answer... |
| Where does a Bartholin\'s gland cyst form? Read answer... |
 | What is the function of the bartholin gland? |
| What is the function of the secretions from Bartholin\'s glands? |
| How do you treat swelling of bartholins gland? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Bartholin's gland. Read more |
Mentioned in
