What this is
An anatomy reference. It shows where each structure sits and what lies behind the canal wall at any depth and clock position. It does not tell you how to treat anything. How firmly, how long and how often to use a wand or dilator is for a pelvic health clinician or the device maker’s instructions.
Reading the clock
Picture a clock face on the opening, seen from between the knees. 12 is the pubic bone and 6 is the tailbone. 3 is the left hip and 9 is the right hip: the body’s own left and right, not the viewer’s. Turn on Clock face to see it on the model.
Depth
Depth is distance in from the opening. One finger joint is about 2.5 cm.
- 0 to 2 cm is the superficial ring: bulbospongiosus at the sides, perineal body at 6.
- About 2 to 5 cm is the levator ani: puborectalis first, then pubococcygeus, crossing the side walls between 3 and 5 and between 7 and 9.
- Past 4 to 5 cm: iliococcygeus further back on the side wall, and obturator internus higher and further out at 2 to 3 and 9 to 10.
- Coccygeus and the tailbone lie behind the rectal wall, about a full finger length in.
Outside landmarks
The pubic bone lies under the mons at 12, the sit bones are at the sides, and the perineum and anus are at 6. Between the inner lips, the small opening toward the front is the urethra and the vaginal opening is behind it. The External view shows this; Under the skin peels it away.
Safety
See a pelvic health clinician before using any internal device during pregnancy, soon after giving birth or pelvic surgery, with an infection, with unexplained bleeding, or with pain that has not been diagnosed.
Stop and get advice if there is sharp, burning, electric or shooting pain, numbness or tingling, any bleeding, or soreness that lasts more than a day or two.
About this model
This is a schematic built from average adult proportions in published anatomy. It is not a scan and it is not any one person’s body. Canal length, the tilt of the uterus and muscle bulk vary a lot between people. The flared upper hip bones, fat, most skin and blood vessels are left out.
The external layer is the most simplified part. Real vulvas differ widely in size, shape, symmetry and color, and the plain drawing here is not a picture of what is normal.
Notes and privacy
Notes are saved in this browser, on this device. The app has no accounts and no server, so nothing you write is sent to us or to anyone else. Clearing your browser data deletes your notes, so keep a backup if they matter.
When you share notes, they travel inside the link or QR code itself. Anyone who has the link can read them, so leave out names and anything else that identifies a person.
This edition