Skene's gland

{{Short description|Glands located on the anterior wall of the vagina}}

{{Redirect|Periurethral glands|the male periurethral glands|Urethral gland}}

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Skene's gland

| Latin = glandula vestibularis minor

| Image = Skenes_gland.jpg

| Caption = Human female external reproductive anatomy

| Width =

| Image2 =

| Caption2 =

| Precursor = Urogenital sinus

| System =

| Artery =

| Vein =

| Nerve =

| Lymph =

}}

In female human anatomy, Skene's glands or the Skene glands ({{IPAc-en|s|k|iː|n}} {{respell|SKEEN|'}}, also known as the lesser vestibular glands or paraurethral glands{{DorlandsDict|nine/20823231|paraurethral glands}}) are two glands located towards the lower end of the urethra. The glands are surrounded by tissue that swells with blood during sexual arousal, and secrete a fluid, carried by the Skene's ducts to openings near the urethral meatus, particularly during orgasm.

Structure and function

File:Organs and tissues with sexual functions (female) 1.png

The Skene's glands' openings are located in the vestibule of the vulva, around the lower end of the urethra.{{cite journal | author=Rodriguez FD, Camacho A, Bordes SJ, Gardner B, Levin RJ, Tubbs RS | title=Female ejaculation: An update on anatomy, history, and controversies. | journal=Clinical Anatomy | year=2020 | volume=34 | issue=1 | pages=103–107 | pmid=32681804 | doi=10.1002/ca.23654 | s2cid=220634920 | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ca.23654 | access-date=26 September 2020 | archive-date=22 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122113328/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ca.23654 | url-status=live | url-access=subscription }} 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.{{cite journal |vauthors=Pastor Z, Chmel R |year=2017 |title=Differential diagnostics of female 'sexual' fluids: a narrative review |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325024271 |journal=International Urogynecology Journal |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=621–629 |doi=10.1007/s00192-017-3527-9 |pmid=29285596 |s2cid=5045626}} 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.

Skene's glands produce a milk-like ultrafiltrate of blood plasma. The glands may be the source of female ejaculation,{{cite book |last1=Bullough |first1=Vern L. |last2=Bullough |first2=Bonnie |year=2014 |title=Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1135825096 |page=231 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHymAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA231 |access-date=7 February 2018 |archive-date=15 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315171956/https://books.google.com/books?id=UHymAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA231 |url-status=live }} but this has not been proven.{{cite book |last1=Greenberg |first1=Jerrold S. |last2=Bruess |first2=Clint E. |last3=Oswalt |first3=Sara B. |year=2014 |title=Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers |isbn=978-1449648510 |pages=102–104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hm3aTuANFroC&pg=PA102 |access-date=7 February 2018 |archive-date=27 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065038/https://books.google.com/books?id=hm3aTuANFroC&pg=PA102 |url-status=live }} Because they and the male prostate act similarly by secreting prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is an ejaculate protein produced in males, and prostatic acid phosphatase, some authors refer to the Skene's glands as the "female prostate".Diane Tomalty, Olivia Giovannetti et al.: [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2050052121001086?via%3Dihub 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. They are homologous to the male prostate (developed from the same embryological tissues),{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WtrBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45|title=Oxford Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology|isbn=9780198766360|last1=Arulkumaran|first1=Sabaratnam|last2=Ledger|first2=William|last3=Doumouchtsis|first3=Stergios|last4=Denny|first4=Lynette|date=December 2019|publisher=Oxford University Press }} but the homology is still a matter of research.{{cite journal| author=Toivanen R, Shen MM| title=Prostate organogenesis: tissue induction, hormonal regulation and cell type specification. | journal=Development | year= 2017 | volume= 144 | issue= 8 | pages= 1382–1398 | pmid=28400434 | doi=10.1242/dev.148270 | pmc=5399670 }} Female ejaculate may result from sexual activity for some women, especially during orgasm. In addition to PSA and acid phosphatase, Skene's gland fluid contains high concentrations of glucose and fructose.

In an amount of a few milliliters, fluid is secreted from these glands when stimulated from inside the vagina.{{cite web |last=Castleman |first=Michael |date=2 January 2014 |title=Female ejaculation: What's known and unknown |publisher=Psychology Today|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/201401/female-ejaculation-what-s-known-and-unknown |access-date=8 May 2017}}{{cite journal |author=Heath |first=Desmond |year=1984 |title=An investigation into the origins of a copious vaginal discharge during intercourse: 'Enough to wet the bed' – that 'is not urine' |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224498409551217 |journal=The Journal of Sex Research |publisher=Taylor & Francis |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=194–215 |doi=10.1080/00224498409551217 |jstor=3812351 |url-access=subscription}} 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.{{cite journal |last1=Salama |first1=Samuel |last2=Boitrelle |first2=Florence |last3=Gauquelin |first3=Amélie |last4=Malagrida |first4=Lydia |last5=Thiounn |first5=Nicolas |last6=Desvaux |first6=Pierre |date=1 March 2015 |title=Nature and origin of 'squirting' in female sexuality |url=https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article-abstract/12/3/661/6966885 |journal=The Journal of Sexual Medicine |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=661–666 |doi=10.1111/jsm.12799 |issn=1743-6095 |pmid=25545022 |url-access=subscription}}

Clinical significance

File:Skene's duct cyst.png, pressing the urethral opening towards the right side of the image]]

Disorders of the Skene's glands may include:

Infection (called skenitis, urethral syndrome, or female prostatitis){{cite journal |author=Gittes |first1=R F |last2=Nakamura |first2=R M |date=May 1996 |title=Female urethral syndrome. A female prostatitis? |journal=Western Journal of Medicine |volume=164 |issue=5 |pages=435–438 |pmc=1303542 |pmid=8686301}}
Skene's duct cyst: lined by stratified squamous epithelium, the cyst is caused by obstruction of the Skene's glands. It is located lateral to the urinary meatus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for diagnosis.{{cite journal | author=Itani M, Kielar A, Menias CO, Dighe MK, Surabhi V, Prasad SR | display-authors=etal | title=MRI of female urethra and periurethral pathologies. | journal=Int Urogynecol J | year=2016 | volume=27 | issue=2 | pages=195–204 | pmid=26209954 | doi=10.1007/s00192-015-2790-x | s2cid=26054797 | url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26209954 }} The cyst is treated by surgical excision or marsupialization.
Trichomoniasis: the Skene's glands (along with other structures) act as a reservoir for Trichomonas vaginalis, which explains why topical treatments are not as effective as oral medication for this condition.{{cite journal |author=Kissinger |first=Patricia |date=5 August 2015 |title=Trichomonas vaginalis: a review of epidemiologic, clinical and treatment issues |journal=BMC Infectious Diseases |volume=15 |pages=307 |doi=10.1186/s12879-015-1055-0 |pmc=4525749 |pmid=26242185 |doi-access=free}}

History

While the glands were first described in 1672 by Reinier de Graaf and by the French surgeon Alphonse Guérin (1816–1895),{{cite book |title=De Mulierum Organis Generationi Inservientibus |first=Regnier |last=de Graaf |author-link=Regnier de Graaf |language=la |url=https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_34292 |year=1672 |location=Leiden}} they were named after the Scottish gynaecologist Alexander Skene, who wrote about it in Western medical literature in 1880.{{cite journal |last=Skene |first=Alexander J. C. |author-link=Alexander Skene |date=April 1880 |title=The anatomy and pathology of two important glands of the female urethra |url=https://archive.org/details/101316080.nlm.nih.gov |journal=The American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children |volume=13 |pages=265–70}}{{WhoNamedIt|synd|2038|Skene's glands}}{{WhoNamedIt|synd|2037|Skene's ducts}} In 2002,{{cite book | last1=Hornstein | first1=Theresa | last2=Schwerin | first2=Jeri Lynn | title=Biology of women | publisher=Delmar, Cengage Learning | location=Clifton Park, NY | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-285-40102-7 | oclc=911037670 | page=61 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ibgKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 | access-date=29 April 2021 | archive-date=15 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315172007/https://books.google.com/books?id=ibgKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 | url-status=live }} 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".{{cite book|title=Terminologia Histologica: International Terms for Human Cytology and Histology|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-0781766104|year=2008|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rl1PAQAAIAAJ|access-date=27 September 2020|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315172007/https://books.google.com/books?id=Rl1PAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}

Other animals

Horses, dogs, sheep, and pigs are examples of other mammals that have these glands (minor vestibular glands).{{cite book|last=Leibich|first=Hans-Georg|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=AiISEAAAQBAJ&pg=SA14-PA30|title= Veterinary Histology of Domestic Mammals and Birds: Textbook and Colour Atlas

|pages=14–30|year=2019|publisher=5m Publishing Limited|isbn= 978-1-78918-106-7}}

Skene's gland

Structure and function

Clinical significance

History

Other animals

See also

References

Further reading

Skene&#039;s gland

Structure and function

Clinical significance

History

Other animals

See also

References

Further reading

Skene's gland