Labioscrotal folds
Stages in the development of the external sexual organs in the male and female.
Gray's	subject #252 1214
Precursor	genital tubercle
Gives rise to	Labia majora, Scrotum
Dorlands/Elsevier	s_31/12775207

The labioscrotal folds (or labioscrotal swellings, or genital swellings) are paired structures in the human embryo that represent the final stage of development of the caudal end of the external genitals before sexual differentiation. In both males and females the two swellings merge:

• In the female, they become the posterior labial commissure. The sides of the genital tubercle grow backward as the genital swellings, which ultimately form the labia majora; the tubercle itself becomes the mons pubis. In contrast, the labia minora are formed by the urogenital folds ^[1]
• In the male, they become the scrotum.

References

1. ^ HSC - Gonad Descent and Development of External Genitalia II

External links

• "Development of Male External Genitalia", at mcgill.ca
• "Development of Female External Genitalia", at mcgill.ca
• Diagram at mhhe.com
• Swiss embryology (from UL, UB, and UF) ugenital/genitexterne01
• MedEd at Loyola urology/nlpendv.htm

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

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