Читать книгу Sex For Dummies - Pierre Lehu A., Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer - Страница 64

During sexual excitement, a woman experiences several physical changes:

 The vaginal lips and clitoris swell.

 The nipples on her breasts become erect.

 The vaginal walls fill with blood in a process called vasocongestion, which is similar to the way blood flows into the penis during erection.

The vagina becomes lubricated, or slippery, by the passage of fluids through the vaginal walls. This lubrication isn’t manufactured by a gland, but occurs when fluid filters into the vagina from blood vessels surrounding it. The vasocongestion causes increased pressure that, in turn, causes the fluid within the blood serum to be pushed through the tissues of the vaginal wall.

This fluid has another function besides making it easier for the penis to slide in and out of the vagina. It also changes the chemical nature of the vagina, making it more alkaline and less acidic, an environment that proves more hospitable to sperm.

In most mammals, the female doesn’t provide any lubrication; instead, the male secretes the lubricant, similar to what the Cowper’s gland in human males produces, but in much greater quantities. Researchers have noted that, when males of certain species, such as horses, get aroused, a steady stream of this fluid flows out of the penis.