What is a cloaca?

What is a cloaca?

Early in the development of a female fetus, the tissue that is supposed to become the intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts are together in one unit known as a “cloaca.” These three typically separate as a pregnancy proceeds, creating the anus, the vagina, and the urethra.

In rare cases (1 in every 50,000 babies), this process does not work properly and these tracts do not separate from one another completely. A female is said to have developed a “persistent cloaca” when these three tracts open into one common cavity, with one opening from the body.