Female urogenital muscles from below,artwork. These muscles (dark pink) maintain continence as part of the urinary and anal sphincters. At centre top is the clitoris,with the urethra,vagina and rectum below it. Surrounding them is the bulbospongiosus muscle,which closes the vagina. Inside of this muscle is the external anal sphincter,which controls the anal opening. The purple area is the urogenital diaphragm. Running across centre is the deep transverse perineal muscle,which also supports the pelvic organs. The two diagonal muscles are the ischiocavernosus muscles,which help flex the anus and tense the vagina. The semicircular band across bottom is the gluteus maximus,the largest buttock muscle. Above the gluteus maximus are the levator ani (red),which support the pelvic organs and surround the anus and vagina |