What Is the Female Reproductive
System?
Most species have two
sexes: male and female. Each sex has its own unique reproductive system. They
are different in shape and structure, but both are specifically designed to
produce, nourish, and transport either the egg or sperm.
Unlike the male, the human female has a
reproductive system located entirely in the pelvis (that's the lowest part of
the abdomen). The external part of the female reproductive organs is called the
vulva, which means covering. Located between the legs, the
vulva covers the opening to the vagina (pronounced:
vuh-jigh-nuh) and other reproductive organs located inside the
body.
The fleshy area located just above the top of the
vaginal opening is called the mons pubis (pronounced:
manz pyoo-bis). Two pairs of skin flaps called
the labia (which means lips and is pronounced:
lay-bee-uh) surround the vaginal opening. The
clitoris (pronounced: klih-tuh-rus), a
small sensory organ, is located toward the front of the vulva where the
folds of the labia join. Between the labia are openings to the
urethra (the canal that carries urine from the bladder to the
outside of the body, which is pronounced: yoo-ree-thruh) and
vagina. Once girls become sexually mature, the outer labia and the mons pubis
are covered by pubic hair.
A female's internal reproductive organs are the
vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
The vagina is a muscular, hollow tube that extends
from the vaginal opening to the uterus. The vagina is about 3 to 5 inches (8 to
12 centimeters) long in a grown woman. Because it has muscular walls it can
expand and contract. This ability to become wider or narrower allows the vagina
to accommodate something as slim as a tampon and as wide as a baby. The vagina's
muscular walls are lined with mucous membranes, which keep it protected and
moist. The vagina serves two purposes: It's where the penis is inserted during
sexual intercourse, and it's also the pathway that a baby takes out of a woman's
body during childbirth, called the birth canal.
A thin sheet of tissue with one or more holes in it
called the hymen (pronounced: hi-mun)
partially covers the opening of the vagina. Hymens are often different from
person to person. Most women find their hymens have stretched or torn after
their first sexual experience, and the hymen may bleed a little (this usually
causes little, if any, pain). Some women who have had sex don't have much of a
change in their hymens, though.
The vagina connects with the
uterus (pronounced: yoo-tuh-rus), or womb, at
the cervix (which means neck and is pronounced:
sir-viks). The cervix has strong, thick walls. The opening of
the cervix is very small (no wider than a straw), which is why a tampon can
never get lost inside a girl's body. During childbirth, the cervix can expand to
allow a baby to pass.
The uterus is shaped like an upside-down pear, with
a thick lining and muscular walls - in fact, the uterus contains some of the
strongest muscles in the female body. These muscles are able to expand and
contract to accommodate a growing fetus and then help push the baby out during
labor. When a woman isn't pregnant, the uterus is only about 3 inches (7.5
centimeters) long and 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide.
At the upper corners of the uterus, the
fallopian (pronounced: fuh-lo-pee-un) tubes
connect the uterus to the ovaries (pronounced:
o-vuh-reez). The ovaries are two oval-shaped organs that lie to
the upper right and left of the uterus. They produce, store, and release eggs
into the fallopian tubes in the process called ovulation
(pronounced: av-yoo-lay-shun). Each ovary measures about 1 1/2
to 2 inches (4 to 5 centimeters) in a grown woman.
There are two fallopian tubes, each attached to a
side of the uterus. The fallopian tubes are about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long
and about as wide as a piece of spaghetti. Within each tube is a tiny passageway
no wider than a sewing needle. At the other end of each fallopian tube is a
fringed area that looks like a funnel. This fringed area wraps around the ovary
but doesn't completely attach to it. When an egg pops out of an ovary, it enters
the fallopian tube. Once the egg is in the fallopian tube, tiny hairs in the
tube's lining help push it down the narrow passageway toward the
uterus.
The ovaries are also part of the endocrine system
because they produce female sex hormones such as estrogen
(pronounced: es-truh-jun) and progesterone
(pronounced: pro-jes-tuh-rone).