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Pubis: anatomy, location and function

The pubis is the anterior part of the hip bone. It completes the bony pelvic ring in front, forms part of the acetabulum and gives origin to the adductor muscles of the thigh and attachment to the rectus abdominis.

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Highlighted in the model: Pubis. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Pubis at a glance

What it is
The pubis is the anterior part of the hip bone.
Location
It has a body and superior and inferior rami. The two pubic bodies meet in the midline at the pubic symphysis, in front of the bladder.
Function
It completes the bony pelvic ring in front, forms part of the acetabulum and gives origin to the adductor muscles of the thigh and attachment to the rectus abdominis.
Body system
Skeletal · paired (left and right) · female body
FMA ID
FMA16597 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The pubic symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint with a fibrocartilaginous disc.
  • The pubic tubercle anchors the medial end of the inguinal ligament.
  • The inferior pubic rami of both sides form the subpubic angle: typically more than 80 degrees in females and less than 70 degrees in males.
  • The pubis and ischium together surround the obturator foramen.

Clinical relevance

Hormones of pregnancy loosen the ligaments of the pubic symphysis, and some women develop painful symphysis pubis dysfunction. Fractures of the pubic rami are common after falls in older adults.

Structures next to the pubis

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Pubis (FMA16597). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §8.3 The Pelvic Girdle and Pelvis. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.