# Attention Women, How Many Holes Do You Have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654 "2005-02-18T03:35:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JimMacMillan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JimMacMillan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimMacMillan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/1 "2005-02-18T03:35:44Z")
OK, so I was watching “Sex And The City” the other day. During a conversation about the human body Kim Cattrall’s character said to her girl friends “Did you know that we have 3 holes down there?”. Anus, Vagina, and Urethra came to mind. Now this seem obvious to me and I would have thought it obvious to Cattrall’s characters spread the joy of sex attitude. Is this what she meant or is there another orifice south of the navel on the female anatomy that I am not aware of? Jim ---
**Author:** ![JimMacMillan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JimMacMillan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimMacMillan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/2 "2005-02-18T03:42:39Z")
I may have assumed wrong. When Cattrall’s character made the comment I assumed that she thought the Vagina and Urethra are one in the same? A dumb thought but maybe :rolleyes: Jim ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/3 "2005-02-18T03:46:51Z")
Do us both a favor. Let’s not get our science from a sitcom…k? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/4 "2005-02-18T04:26:32Z")
Dude. This is G.Q. Let’s see now. Anus Urethra Vagina Milk Ducts ending in nipples Mouth Nostrils Ears Tear Ducts And my personal favorite, the pefectly round titanium hole in the back of the skull, just above the stem area, where she jacks into The Matrix. What?? 😛 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![lektrikpuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/47e85d/32.png) [@lektrikpuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lektrikpuke)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/5 "2005-02-18T04:55:27Z")
Tell me more about this ‘nipples’ thing. :dubious: I guess it all depends on your definition of a ‘hole.’ Is this the hole that KLOS refers to in their segment entitled “A hole lot of LED?” ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/6 "2005-02-18T04:59:32Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Dude. This is G.Q. Let’s see now. > > Anus > Urethra > Vagina > Milk Ducts ending in nipples > Mouth > Nostrils > Ears > Tear Ducts All these but the first 3 fail the “south of the navel” criteria in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/7 "2005-02-18T05:02:55Z")
So are there actually women who don’t realize the urethra isn’t the same as the vagina? Do they think there is just one hole that goes back to the bladder, the uterus, et al?? I mean seriously how could a woman not know that, I get that Sex and the City is a comedy but still. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/8 "2005-02-18T05:03:50Z")
> [@JimMacMillan](#): > > Anus, Vagina, and Urethra came to mind. Technically,it would be the urethral meatus, which is the actual opening. The urethra is the whole tube. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/9 "2005-02-18T05:20:07Z")
If you include milk ducts and tear ducts you might as well include sweat glands, pores and hair follicles. Which would bring us into the thousands ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/10 "2005-02-18T05:26:55Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > So are there actually women who don’t realize the urethra isn’t the same as the vagina? > > Do they think there is just one hole that goes back to the bladder, the uterus, et al?? > > I mean seriously how could a woman not know that, I get that Sex and the City is a comedy but still. How could a woman not know that? Easy, if she was taught that such things are “dirty naughty bits” that mustn’t be explored. I’m pretty sexually and physically liberated, but I’ve never gotten out a hand mirror and a flashlight to look at mine. They’re not so easy for us to see on ourselves. I didn’t see another woman’s vulva until I was 28 years old. If I hadn’t gotten sexually “experimenty”, I doubt I’d have seen one to this day. They’re all covered up with hair and labia and defy easy viewing in the locker room, you know? The urethral opening isn’t “feel-able” as either a protrusion or a hole. Many, many women think that they urinate out of their clitoris (clitorii?), like a little mini penis. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/11 "2005-02-18T05:53:44Z")
Was that the episode where the girls were lunching with St. Augustine, who then made the observance “Inter faeces et urinam nascimur?” ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/12 "2005-02-18T06:13:52Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > So are there actually women who don’t realize the urethra isn’t the same as the vagina? > > Do they think there is just one hole that goes back to the bladder, the uterus, et al?? > > I mean seriously how could a woman not know that, I get that Sex and the City is a comedy but still. Oh, honey, there is absolutely no end to what people don’t know about their bodies. It’s quite frightening, frankly. There was actually a question on this board a while back from a guy who didn’t realize that his urinary tract and his digestive tract weren’t all part of the same system. He thought the food went from the stomach to the kidneys to the intestines. We’re talking second-grade health class material, here. And you don’t even want to hear **Dr.J** ’s stories about his OB/Gyn rotations in school. They’re just too depressing. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/13 "2005-02-18T06:30:23Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > All these but the first 3 fail the “south of the navel” criteria in the OP. Then you haven´t met my Aunt Zelda. 83 years old and hasn´t worn a bra in her life. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/14 "2005-02-18T06:39:36Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > How could a woman not know that? Easy, if she was taught that such things are “dirty naughty bits” that mustn’t be explored. I don’t think Samantha falls into that category. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/15 "2005-02-18T07:45:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Many, many women think that they urinate out of their clitoris (clitorii?), like a little mini penis. [Clitorides](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html). The -i ending for plurals is only if the singular ends in -us. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/16 "2005-02-18T10:16:08Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > I don’t think Samantha falls into that category. Ah, I’ve never seen the show. My answer was meant to answer for a larger category of women. > [@Chronos](#): > > Clitorides. The -i ending for plurals is only if the singular ends in -us. Thanks! I knew that wasn’t right, but didn’t know what was. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/17 "2005-02-18T10:22:21Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > How could a woman not know that? Easy, if she was taught that such things are “dirty naughty bits” that mustn’t be explored. I’m pretty sexually and physically liberated, but I’ve never gotten out a hand mirror and a flashlight to look at mine. They’re not so easy for us to see on ourselves. I didn’t see another woman’s vulva until I was 28 years old. If I hadn’t gotten sexually “experimenty”, I doubt I’d have seen one to this day. They’re all covered up with hair and labia and defy easy viewing in the locker room, you know? > > The urethral opening isn’t “feel-able” as either a protrusion or a hole. Many, many women think that they urinate out of their clitoris (clitorii?), like a little mini penis. Well I guess this is where men and women differ. You could teach a guy from the age he could speak onwards that the penis is “dirty” and by age 13 he’ll know every square micrometer of it and exactly how to make it work in a wide variety of ways. I guess the male sex drive is too powerful to care about anti-sex socialization. But the thing is I mean most of this stuff is VERY BASIC junior high level health class. I just can’t imagine someone not know it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/18 "2005-02-18T10:32:47Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Well I guess this is where men and women differ. You could teach a guy from the age he could speak onwards that the penis is “dirty” and by age 13 he’ll know every square micrometer of it and exactly how to make it work in a wide variety of ways. > > I guess the male sex drive is too powerful to care about anti-sex socialization. > > But the thing is I mean most of this stuff is VERY BASIC junior high level health class. I just can’t imagine someone not know it. Perhaps it’s simply that the penis is more visible, logistically speaking. A girl \*can \*have a healthy masturbatory life without ever looking at her vulva. Lots of us don’t even touch it directly during masturbation, but use implements or rub on things instead. And information gleaned during masturbation generally tells you nothing about urination, anyway, unless you’re into some freaky stuff. When we’re urinating, there’s no gymnastic way to see where it’s coming from. But yeah, I agree this is all pretty basic anatomy and SHOULD be known and understood. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/19 "2005-02-18T15:44:44Z")
Seconding what **WhyNot** said…even if you’re a fairly liberated person with a healthy masturbatory life, you’re not necessarily going to know about your urethra’s location. It’s not like you can even really feel it, and you certainly can’t see it when you’re actually using it. Unless you take the time to get a mirror and do some examination, it’s not exactly obvious where urine exits your body. But not knowing that your urethral meatus and vagina are separate entities? Yeah, it’s pretty basic health stuff. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654/20 "2005-02-18T16:51:11Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Well I guess this is where men and women differ. You could teach a guy from the age he could speak onwards that the penis is “dirty” and by age 13 he’ll know every square micrometer of it and exactly how to make it work in a wide variety of ways. > > I guess the male sex drive is too powerful to care about anti-sex socialization. > > But the thing is I mean most of this stuff is VERY BASIC junior high level health class. I just can’t imagine someone not know it. [Sociological-Psychological Hijack] “Clean and dirty” and “good and bad” are configured differently by gender. In terms of how they are associated with gender when we’re growing up, I mean, as a consequence of how we’re socialized. For little boys, “good” is passive, refraining from being true to one’s bad-ass misbehaving boy-nature, perhaps out of fear of the consequences. “Bad” (and “dirty”, incidentally) are stronger, as rebellious assertions flying in the face of such consequences, and it is expected of boys. For little girls, it’s “bad” that is passive, weakly failing to live up to the high behavioral standards that are thought to be true aspects of good-citizen girl-nature. “Bad” is not so much perceived as “getting away with stuff” so much as “getting led astray”, and instead of the “rolleyes” / “boys-will-be-boys” reluctant admiration that misbehaving boys get, misbehaving girls get pity or contempt. Obviously these are huge gross generalizations (as are all such psychological “profiles” forms) but hopefully it rings sufficiently true for you that you can see why it’s a very different thing to label sexual parts “dirty” for a boy or for a girl. Dirty is bad. [/hijack] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-women-how-many-holes-do-you-have/290654.md?page=2)