Vaginal fornix

Fornix vaginae
Human female internal reproductive anatomy
Sagittal section of the lower part of a female trunk, right segment. SM. INT. Small intestine.
Gray's	subject #269 1264

The fornices of the vagina are the deepest portions of the vagina, extending into the recesses created by the extension of the cervix into the vaginal space. The word 'fornix' is Latin for 'arch'.

There are three named fornices:

• The posterior fornix is the larger recess, behind the cervix. It is close to the rectouterine pouch.
• There are two smaller recesses in front and at the sides:
  • the anterior fornix is close to the vesicouterine pouch.
  • the lateral fornix.

Some women receive enjoyment from stimulation of the fornices, while other women say that their fornices cannot be stimulated without stimulation of the cervix, which may be painful.^{[citation needed]}

The fornices appear to be close to at least two erogenous zones, the AFE zone, which is near the anterior fornix, and the cul-de-sac, which is near the posterior fornix.

External links

• MedEd at Loyola Grossanatomy/dissector/practical/pelvis/pelvis14.html
• SUNY Labs 43:10-0201 - "The Female Pelvis: The Vagina"
• Histology at BU 19401loa - "Female Reproductive System: cervix, longitudinal"
• Human anatomy at Dartmouth figures/chapter_35/35-2.HTM

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

This article related to the genitourinary system is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e