NOT a branch of the internal pudendal artery in females?

• A. Inferior rectal artery
• B. Posterior scrotal branches
• C. Perineal artery
• D. Artery of bulb of vestibule

Answer: (B)

The internal pudendal artery supplies the perineum through a set of branches that adapt to male or female external genitalia. In the female perineum, its branches include the inferior rectal artery, the perineal artery, the artery of the bulb of the vestibule, and the posterior labial arteries. The term “posterior scrotal branches” refers to vessels that supply the scrotal skin in males. In females, the analogous vessels are the posterior labial arteries, not posterior scrotal branches. Therefore, posterior scrotal branches are not a branch of the internal pudendal artery in females. The other listed arteries—inferior rectal, perineal, and artery of the bulb of the vestibule—do arise from the internal pudendal in both sexes, which is why they fit as branches in females.