The vaginal venous plexus is a group of veins draining

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 ...

from 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 ...

. It lies around the sides of the vagina. Its blood is eventually into the internal iliac veins.

Structure

The vaginal venous plexus lies around the sides of the

. Its branches communicate with the

uterine venous plexus The uterine plexuses lie along the sides and superior angles of the uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the ...

es,

vesical venous plexus The vesical plexus envelops the lower part of the bladder and the base of the prostate The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is f ...

, and

rectal venous plexus The rectal venous plexus (or hemorrhoidal plexus) surrounds the rectum, and communicates in front with the vesical venous plexus in the male, and the vaginal venous plexus in the female. A free communication between the portal and systemic venous ...

es. It is drained by the ''vaginal veins'', one on either side. These eventually drain into the internal iliac veins (hypogastric veins).

Function

The vaginal venous plexus drains

from the

. It helps to make the vagina highly vascular.

References

{{circulatory-stub Veins of the torso