Female Anatomy
Internal Female Reproductive System
Vagina
Uterus
Fallopian Tubes
Ovaries


Vagina
Muscular passage that serves as the organ of intercourse, birth canal, and the passageway for the menstrual flow.
The vagina leads from the vulva to the uterus and is
moist and acidic and 4 to 5 inches in length.

The vagina is a hollow tube. The vaginal walls are moist, elastic and muscular.

The vagina can stretch to various sizes for childbirth, intercourse and menstruation.

The vagina cleans itself through periodically shedding mucus and dead cells.

Uterus
Organ that prepares to receive a fertilized ovum.
A hollow, muscular, pear shaped organ.

Between the bladder and the rectum.
Non pregnant state:
3 inches long
2 inches wide at top
About the size of the fist

Three parts:
Corpus
upper muscular section

Isthmus
middle section;lengthens during pregnancy

Cervix
Lowest part of the uterus that keeps growing embryo inside the uterus during development.


The cervix is the entrance to the uterus and contains mucus-producing glands.

At the center of the cervix is an opening called the os. The os can dilate to permit the passage of a baby.

Oviducts
Fallopian Tubes are a 3-5 inch tube that the egg moves through to the uterus.

The egg takes a 3 to 5 day journey form the ovaries to the uterus. Fertilization occurs in the tubes.

Ovaries
Female sex glands that produce eggs (ova) and hormones; estrogen and progesterone.

The ovaries are 1 inch wide, 1.5 inches long and .25 of an inch thick they contain 200,000 to 400,000 primary follicles at birth.

There are 10,000 follicles left at puberty,
approximately 375 primary follicles mature to expel eggs-menstrual periods.

External Female Reproductive Organs
Mons veneris
Labia Majora
Labia Minora
Clitoris
Hymen

Mons Veneris
Fatty tissue that covers the front of the pelvic bone. It serves as a protective cushion for internal organs. It is the area covered by pubic hair.

Labia Majora
Outer folds of skin surrounding the opening to the vagina.

Labia Minora
Smaller folds of skin located between the labia majora that extend from the clitoris downward.

Both the Labia Majora and Labia Minora provide protection for the vagina and the urethra.
Both are called the Vulva.


Clitoris
A small, highly sensitive body of tissue located between the labia minora. Richly supplied with blood vessels and nerve endings.

Hymen
A thin membrane that stretches across the vaginal opening.


Menstrual Cycle
A process that involves the entire body controlled by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.

Menstruation
Cyclic shedding of the uterine lining through the vagina lasting 3 to 7 days.