| Mons pubis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Genital tubercle |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | mons pubis |
| TA98 | A09.2.01.002 |
| TA2 | 3548 |
| FMA | 20218 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In human anatomy, and in mammals in general, the mons pubis or pubic mound (also known simply as the mons /mɒnz/), and known specifically in females as the mons Venus or the older term mons veneris,[1][2][3] is a rounded mass of fatty tissue found over the pubic symphysis of the pubic bones.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Structure
For females, the mons pubis forms the anterior and superior portion of the vulva. It divides into the labia majora (literally 'larger lips'), on either side of the furrow known as the pudendal cleft that surrounds the rest of the vulvar parts: labia minora, clitoris, urinary meatus, vaginal opening, and vulval vestibule.[3][6][7]
Although present in both men and women, the mons pubis tends to be larger in women.[2][7] Before puberty, the mons pubis is relatively flat and hairless. Its fatty tissue is sensitive to estrogen, causing a distinct mound to form with the onset of female puberty.[5][7][8][9] This pushes the forward portion of the labia majora out and away from the pubic bone. Increased androgen activity can cause the skin of the mons pubis to be covered with coarse pubic hair. During menopause, the pubic hair can thin out and the mons pubis decreases in size.[10][11]
Etymology
The term mons pubis is derived from Latin for "pubic mound". The more specifically female mons Venus or the older term mons veneris is derived from Latin for "mound of Venus".[2][3][1]
Society and culture
Although not part of external genitalia itself, the pubic mound can be regarded as an erogenous zone and is highly eroticized in many cultures. Throughout history, the complete or partial removal of pubic hair has been common in many societies,[citation needed] and more recently it has become widespread in the Western world. The removal of all pubic hair has become common practice in the past decade primarily due to societal pressures and personal preferences. There are several popular removal methods including shaving and waxing, such as a Brazilian wax.[12][13][14]
In some circumstances, the mons pubis is subjected to aesthetic ideals beyond hair removal. Correspondingly, plastic surgery is offered, which alters the shape of the mons to a desired ideal.[15]
Permanent forms of decoration to enhance the aesthetic appeal of this area are hanabira (the application of cosmetic scars)[16] or piercings such as the Christina piercing or the Nefertiti piercing.[17] Vajazzling refers to the non-permanent decoration of the mons pubis with crystal ornaments.[18][19] Genital tattooing is also common in this area using traditional ink as well as temporary henna designs or mehndi.
Although it is usually illegal to expose the mons pubis in public, there are some garments that expose it. For example, in 1985, four weeks before his death, Rudi Gernreich unveiled the pubikini, a topless bathing suit that exposed the wearer's mons pubis and pubic hair.[20][21][22][23][24] It was a thin, V-shaped, thong-style bottom[25] that in the front featured a tiny strip of fabric.[23][24] The pubikini was described as a pièce de résistance totally freeing the human body.[26]
Gallery
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Mons pubis of a male, with pubic hair partly removed -
Mons Venus, viewed from above -
Prominent mons Venus (lateral view)
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References
- ^ a b Dyche, Bill (2014-09-01). "Anatomy word the month: Mons veneris". Des Moines University. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
- ^ a b c d New Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2011.
The rounded mass of fatty tissue lying over the joint of the pubic bones, in women typically more prominent and also called the mons veneris.
- ^ a b c d Gould, A.M.; George Milbry, M.D (1894). An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, Son & Company. pp. 778–779. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
Mons pubis: the eminence in front of the body and horizontal ramus of the os pubis; it is called also, in the female, mons veneris.
- ^ "mons pubis". Merriam–Webster. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
A rounded eminence of fatty tissue on the pubic symphysis especially of the human female.
- ^ a b "mons pubis". American Heritage Dictionary. 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
A rounded fleshy protuberance situated over the pubic bones that becomes covered with hair during puberty.
- ^ a b Zink, Christoph (1988). Dictionary of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co. p. 201. ISBN 3110857278. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
Pubic mount: mons pubis, in females mons veneris; the hairy region above the anterior commissure of the large labia or penis.
- ^ a b c d Basavanthappa, B.T. (2006). Textbook of Midwifery and Reproductive Health Nursing (1st ed.). New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. pp. 23, 42, 791. ISBN 8180617998. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
[Female] mons pubis (mons veneris), labia majora and minora, clitoris, prepuce of clitoris, vestibule, fourchette, and perineum… [Male] mons pubis, penis, and scrotum… Hair-covered fat pad overlying the symphysis pubis.
- ^ Gray, Henry (1918). Lewis, Warren H. (ed.). Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.). Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. ISBN 1-58734-102-6.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Myers, J.D., John E.B. (2011). The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1412966818. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ Braun, Kirsten (2007-09-01). "Ageing down under". Women's Health, Queensland Wide. Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Mons Pubis: What Is It, Location, and More". Osmosis. 2025-01-06. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
- ^ Stone, N., Graham, C.A., & Baysal, I. (2017). "Women's Engagement in Pubic Hair Removal: Motivations and Associated Factors". International Journal of Sexual Health, 29(1), 89–96.
- ^ Lidola, M. (2014). "Negotiating integration in Berlin's waxing studios: Brazilian migrants' gendered appropriation of urban consumer spaces and 'ethnic' entrepreneurship". Journal of Contemporary History, 49(1), 228–251.
- ^ Herbenick, D., Schick, V., Reece, M., Sanders, S., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). "Pubic hair removal among women in the United States: Prevalence, methods, and characteristics". The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(10), 3322–3330.
- ^ Triana, L. & Robledo, A. M. (2015). "Aesthetic surgery of female external genitalia". Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 35(2), 165–177.
- ^ Bulla, Birgit. "Schnittiger Trend? Scarification statt Tattoo". Stylight (in German).
- ^ Van der Meer, G. T., Schultz, W.W., & Nijman, J.M. (2008). "Intimate body piercings in women". Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 29(4), 235–239.
- ^ Turney, J. (2016). "Vajazzled!!! Pursuits for the hirsute." Clothing Cultures, 3(2), 143–153.
- ^ Hsieh, Carina (27 September 2017). "7 Things You Didn't Know About Vajazzling". Cosmopolitan.
- ^ Portraits: Photographs from Europe and America (2004) Klaus Honnef, Helmut Newton and Carol Squiers. page 21, Schirmer, ISBN 382960131X
- ^ Cathy Horn, "Rudi Revisited", The Washington Post, November 17, 1991, page 3
- ^ Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer & Dawn Danby, The V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health (2002), page 104, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-38114-8
- ^ a b overzero.com. "Bald is Beautiful". Metroland. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- ^ a b Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer and Dawn Danby, The V Book, page 104, Bantam Books, 2002, ISBN 0553381148
- ^ Ellen Shultz, ed. (1986). Recent acquisitions: A Selection, 1985-1986. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 48. ISBN 978-0870994784.
- ^ Catalog adds options for overweight girls, Denver Post, 1992-01-02
Bibliography
- Sloane, Ethel. Biology of Women. Cengage Learning 2002, ISBN 978-0-7668-1142-3, p. 31
- Gray, Henry: Anatomy of the Human Body. Lea & Febiger, 1918
- "Mons pubis" in Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2010.
External links
- "The Female Perineum: The Vulva". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
