How many holes does a women have

There's been a lot of talk this week about revisions to Australia's education system; increasing fees for humanities degrees, the virtues of transitioning to individualised learning and so on.

So while the topic is front of mind, can we also talk about a rather unsettling learning gap exposed by a former winner of The Bachelor?

Yes? Cool.

Laura Byrne, podcast host and partner of Matty Johnson, has highlighted just how lacklustre sex/biology education is in this country by asking a basic question about female anatomy. Pretty much the most basic question.

"How many holes does a woman have down there?"

To be clear, Laura is referring to women born biologically female.

Get to you what's in your lady garden, with this handy field guide. (Post continues below.)

(For those playing along at home the answer for most biological females is three: the urethra, the vagina and the anus. Keep reading for a handy diagram.)

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The topic was initially broached on Life Uncut, a podcast she hosts with fellow Bachelor alum Brittany Hockley, when an anonymous listener shared that her male partner believed that females possess just one multi-purpose hole beneath their vulva.

Convinced the Dear Listener mustn't be alone, Byrne issued a call-out via her Instagram story.

"Guys, if you listened to today’s episode, we asked a very important question and I need to know your answers," she posed. "That is, if you have asked your boyfriends or your brothers, or any other men in your life, if they know how many holes a woman has down there?"

Then this happened...

"I just asked my partner thinking there was no way he would get it wrong," one person replied. "He said two and then said 'no way show me!'"

And this: "I asked my boyfriend, and he said, 'three plus your bumhole. One for peeing, one for sex and one for pregnancy.'"

Also this: "Four. One for urinating, one for number twos, one for period and one for uterus."

A handy diagram of the female genital area. Image: Getty.

'No. Nuh uh. Surely not,' we thought. Has primary-school level anatomical education truly failed us so?

What about that lesson in the school library in which a cheery middle-aged woman made you pin the names of girls' bits on a giant diagram?

Or Healthy Harold?! This must have been somewhere among the things we learned from that grubby, disembodied giraffe puppet?

Right?

We checked just in case. And well, clearly, wrong.

A brief and rather unsettling poll of the men in our lives revealed answers ranging from two to six.

To be fair, in the case of the sample maximum, the subject was also counting ears and nostrils.

Here's one exchange:

Subject: "Two. I don't know."
Interviewer: "Below the waist...?"
Subject: "I don't know, I don't know. Three."

And another response: "In the whole region? I know it’s at least three..."

There was also a rather head-scratching insistence that there is another hole within the vagina, like some sort of genital inception.

It's important to stress that inaccurate responses were also given by women (note: the urethra appears to be the source of much confusion). More research is needed to determine if this is gendered issue.

Feel free to participate by asking the people in your life (excluding colleagues/casual acquaintances/your barista, etc.) and commenting below.

Feature Image: Getty.

GirlSmarts on Sep 14, 2012 Reply

Yes there are 3 holes in the vaginal area.

As a background, the outside of the female genital area is called the vulva.
The outer lips of the vulva are called the labia majora.
The inner lips are called the labia minora.

In regards to the 3 holes, the largest whole is the vagina, the passageway that leads to the uterus (where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant).
The hole above the vagina is the urethra that leads to the bladder. Urine passes from the bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body.
The hole below the vagina is the anus where your bowel movements come from.

For a picture of the vulva see: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM00100.

Disclaimer: All health information on Girlsmarts.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a trusted adult/guardian or professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard parental or professional medical advice or delay in seeking these because of something you have read on the Girlsmarts.org website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call a trusted adult and your doctor or 911 immediately.