A vaginal septum is a vaginal anomaly that is partition within the

vagina In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...

; such a

septum In biology, a septum (Latin language, Latin for ''something that encloses''; septa) is a wall, dividing a Body cavity, cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Hum ...

could be either longitudinal or transverse. In some affected women, the septum is partial or does not extend the length or width of the vagina. Pain during intercourse can be a symptom. A longitudinal vaginal septum develops during

embryogenesis An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male ...

when there is an incomplete fusion of the lower parts of the two

Müllerian duct The paramesonephric ducts (or Müllerian ducts) are paired ducts of the embryo in the reproductive system of humans and other mammals that run down the lateral sides of the genital ridge and terminate at the sinus tubercle in the primitive uroge ...

s. As a result, there may appear to be two openings to the vagina. There may be associated duplications of the more cranial parts of the Müllerian derivatives, a double

cervix The cervix (: cervices) or cervix uteri is a dynamic fibromuscular sexual organ of the female reproductive system that connects the vagina with the uterine cavity. The human female cervix has been documented anatomically since at least the time ...

, and either a

uterine septum A uterine septum is a congenital uterine malformation where the uterine cavity is partitioned by a longitudinal septum; the outside of the uterus has a normal typical shape. The wedge-like partition may involve only the superior part of the cav ...

uterus didelphys Uterus didelphys (; sometimes also ''uterus '') represents a uterine malformation where the uterus is present as a paired organ when the embryogenetic fusion of the Müllerian ducts fails to occur. As a result, there is a double uterus with two ...

(double uterus). A transverse septum forms during embryogenesis when the Müllerian ducts do not fuse to the

urogenital sinus The urogenital sinus is a body part of a human or other Placentalia, placental only present in the development of the urinary system, development of the urinary and development of the reproductive organs, reproductive organs. It is the ventral p ...

. A complete transverse septum can occur across the vagina at different levels. Menstrual flow can be blocked, and is a cause of primary

amenorrhea Amenorrhea or amenorrhoea is the absence of a menstrual period in a female organism who has reached reproductive age. Physiological states of amenorrhoea are most commonly seen during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding). In humans, it is wher ...

. The accumulation of menstrual debris behind the septum is termed cryptomenorrhea. Some transverse septa are incomplete and may lead to

dyspareunia Dyspareunia ( ) is painful sexual intercourse due to somatic or psychological causes. The term ''dyspareunia'' covers both female dyspareunia and male dyspareunia, but many discussions that use the term without further specification concern the f ...

or obstruction in labour.

References

External links

''Vagina'', Anatomical Atlases, an Anatomical Digital Library (2018)
Congenital disorders of female genital organs Vagina Pediatric gynecology Syndromes in females Syndromes affecting female reproductive system Women's health Gynaecology Embryology Embryology of urogenital system Human development Pain Congenital disorders {{Gynaecology-stub

See also

References

External links