Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a freeze fracture of the vagina showing the stratified squamous epithelium and the underlying lamina propria. The vagina is a muscular tube leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body (vulva) in female placental mammals. It serves as a passageway for receiving sperm and discharging menstrual flow, and expands greatly to allow the passage of a baby during childbirth. The vagina is kept moist from various glandular secretions but the wall itself lacks glands.Magnification: x350 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.