The perineal sponge is a spongy cushion of tissue and

blood vessels The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

found in the lower

genital area A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

. It sits between the vaginal opening and

rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the sigmoid colon) at the l ...

and is internal to the

perineum The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includi ...

and perineal body.

Functions

The perineal sponge is composed of erectile tissue; during

arousal Arousal is the physiological and psychological state of being awoken or of sense organs stimulated to a point of perception. It involves activation of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) in the brain, which mediates wakefulness, th ...

, it becomes swollen with

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

compressing the outer third of the vagina along with the vestibular bulbs and urethral sponge thereby tightening the vagina and increasing stimulation for the vagina and a penis, if involved.

Sexual stimulation

The perineal sponge is erogenous tissue encompassing a large number of

nerve ending A free nerve ending (FNE) or bare nerve ending, is an unspecialized, afferent nerve fiber sending its signal to a sensory neuron. ''Afferent'' in this case means bringing information from the body's periphery toward the brain. They function as cut ...

s, and can, therefore, be stimulated through the back wall of the

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

or the top wall of the rectum. It is most effectively stimulated manually by inserting the thumb and index finger of one hand into the vagina and rectum simultaneously and masturbating the area by gently pinching and rolling it between the finger tips. This area is sometimes called the PS-spot (perineal sponge spot) and stimulating it could lead to orgasm.

References

Human female reproductive system {{genitourinary-stub