ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

EXTERNAL GENITALIA

Our overview of the reproductive system begins at the external genital area— or

vulva—which runs from the pubic area downward to the rectum. Two folds of fatty,

fleshy tissue surround the entrance to the vagina and the urinary opening: the labia

majora, or outer folds, and the labia minora, or inner folds, located under the labia

majora. The clitoris, is a relatively short organ (less than one inch long), shielded by a

hood of flesh. When stimulated sexually, the clitoris can become erect like a man's

penis. The hymen, a thin membrane protecting the entrance of the vagina, stretches

when you insert a tampon or have intercourse.

 INTERNAL REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE

The Vagina

The vagina is a muscular, ridged sheath connecting the external genitals to the

uterus, where the embryo grows into a fetus during pregnancy. In the reproductive

process, the vagina functions as a two-way street, accepting the penis and sperm

during intercourse and roughly nine months later, serving as the avenue of birth through

which the new baby enters the world .

The Cervix
 The vagina ends at the cervix, the lower portion or neck of the uterus. Like the

vagina, the cervix has dual reproductive functions.

After intercourse, sperm ejaculated in the vagina pass through the cervix, then

proceed through the uterus to the fallopian tubes where, if a sperm encounters an

ovum (egg), conception occurs. The cervix is lined with mucus, the quality and quantity

of which is governed by monthly fluctuations in the levels of the two principle sex

hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

When estrogen levels are low, the mucus tends to be thick and sparse, which

makes it difficult for sperm to reach the fallopian tubes. But when an egg is ready for

fertilization and estrogen levels are high the mucus then becomes thin and slippery,

offering a much more friendly environment to sperm as they struggle towards their goal.

(This phenomenon is employed by birth control pills, shots and implants. One of the

ways they prevent conception is to render the cervical mucus thick, sparse, and hostile

to sperm.)

Uterus

The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of humans. One end,

the cervix, opens into the vagina; the other is connected on both sides to the fallopian

tubes.

The uterus mostly consists of muscle, known as myometrium. Its major function

is to accept a fertilized ovum which becomes implanted into the endometrium, and
derives nourishment from blood vessels which develop exclusively for this purpose. The

fertilized ovum becomes an embryo, develops into a fetus and gestates until childbirth.

Oviducts

The Fallopian tubes or oviducts are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries

of female mammals into the uterus.

On maturity of an ovum, the follicle and the ovary's wall rupture, allowing the

ovum to escape and enter the Fallopian tube. There it travels toward the uterus, pushed

along by movements of cilia on the inner lining of the tubes. This trip takes hours or

days. If the ovum is fertilized while in the Fallopian tube, then it normally implants in the

endometrium when it reaches the uterus, which signals the beginning of pregnancy.

Ovaries

The ovaries are the place inside the female body where ova or eggs are

produced. The process by which the ovum is released is called ovulation. The speed of

ovulation is periodic and impacts directly to the length of a menstrual cycle.

After ovulation, the ovum is captured by the oviduct, where it travelled down the

oviduct to the uterus, occasionally being fertilized on its way by an incoming sperm,

leading to pregnancy and the eventual birth of a new human being.

The Fallopian tubes are often called the oviducts and they have small hairs (cilia)

to help the egg cell travel.