FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE

SYSTEM
The female reproductive system is one of the most vital parts of the human
reproductive process. Reproduction organs in female are those who are concerned
with coitus, fertilization, growth and development of fetus and its exist to the outer
world.

DEFINITION-The reproductive system or genital system is a system of sex

organs within an organism which work together for the purpose of sexual
reproduction.

The female reproductive system is designed to carry out several functions.

 4 is the normal pH of the vagina.
 40 weeks is the normal gestation period.
 400 oocytes released between menarche and menopause.
 400,000 oocytes present at puberty.
 28 days in a normal menstrual cycle.
 280 days (from last normal menstrual period) in a normal gestation period.

PARTS OF FEMALE REPRODUCTIVESYSTEM

The female reproductive anatomy includes Accessory reproductive organs,
External and Internal structures. The female reproductive anatomy includes both
external and internal structures.
External Structures-The external genital structures include the mons pubis, labia
majora, labia minora, and clitoris. The area containing these structures is called
the vulva.
Internal Structures-The female reproductive tract includes the vagina,
uterus,Ovary and fallopian tubes
The external genital structures have three main functions:

 Allowing sperm to enter the body

 Protecting the internal genital organs from infectious organisms
 Providing lubrication and sexual pleasure

The vulva is the external part of the female reproductive system. The main
external structures of the female reproductive system include:

 MONS VENERIS/MONS PUBIS-is a pad of subcutaneous adipose connective tissue lying

in front of pubis or over the symphysis pubis. This area usually covered with hair at puberty.
 LABIA MAJORA: The labia majora (“large lips”) enclose and protect the other external
reproductive organs. During puberty, hair growth occurs on the skin of the labia majora,
which also contain sweat and oil-secreting glands.
 LABIA MINORA: The labia minora (“small lips”) lie just inside the labia majora, and
surround the openings to the vagina (the canal that joins the lower part of the uterus to the
outside of the body) and urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of
the body). This skin is very delicate and can become easily irritated and swollen.
 CLITORIS: The two labia minora meet at the clitoris, a small, sensitive protrusion that is
comparable to the penis in males. It is 2cm in length and composed of a highly sensitive
glans(0.5 cm), a body or two crura.
 VESTIBULE-The vestibule in the female reproductive system is also known as the vulva
vestibule. It is an almond shaped triangular area enclosed by labia minora laterally and
extends from clitoris to fourchette. There are four openings into the vestibule. They are
urethra, vagina and two ducts of the Bartholin glands.
 VESTIBULAR BULBS-These two erectile, tissue-based bulbs appear close to the rear of
the clitoris body.

 HYMEN- is a thin membrane that surrounds the opening to the vagina. The hymen is a thin
piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. The
hymen can rip or tear during first penetrative intercourse, which usually results in pain and,
sometimes, mild temporary bleeding or spotting. Hymens can come in different shapes. The
most common hymen in young women is shaped like a half moon. This shape allows
menstrual blood to flow out of the vagina.

 BARTHOLIN GLANDS AND THEIR DUCTS- The Bartholin's glands are two pea
sized compound alveolar glands located slightly posterior and to the left and right of the
opening of the vagina. The Bartholin's glands are located on each side of the vaginal
opening. Their duct length is 1.5 to 2.0 cm and they open on the surface of the vulva.
Bartholin's glands secrete mucus to provide vaginal lubrication during sexual arousal.

 THE SKENE’S GLANDS, or smaller vestibular glands, are located on either side of the
urethra.

 OPENING OF THE URETHRA- The urethral opening is the tiny hole that female pee out
of, located just below clitoris.

 OPENING OF THE VAGINA-The vaginal opening is right below urethral opening. It's
where menstrual blood leaves female body, and babies are born through the vaginal
opening.

The internal reproductive organs include: A female's internal reproductive
organs are the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.

VAGINA:(BIRTH CANAL) The vagina is a soft, stretchable tube of muscle tissue

about 4 to 5 inches long in an adult woman. It connects the external genital
organs to the uterus. The upper part of the vagina is wider and surrounds the cervix
(the lower part of the uterus). The vagina is a canal that joins the cervix (the lower
part of uterus) to the outside of the body. It also is known as the birth canal.
The vagina is lined with a mucous membrane, kept moist by fluids produced by cells
on its surface and by secretions from glands in the cervix. A small amount of these
fluids may pass to the outside as a clear or milky white vaginal discharge, which is
normal.

WALLS-It has got four walls-

 Anterior wall(7cm)
 Posterior Wall(9cm)
 Two lateral walls

Fornices- There are four fornices

 1 anterior(shallower)
 1 posterior( deeper)
 2 lateral
The vagina has a central role in sexual activity and reproduction. It is the
passageway for the following:
 Sperm to the egg to the uterus and fallopian tubes
 Menstrual bleeding or a baby to the outside.

UTERUS: The uterus is a thick-walled, muscular, pear-shaped organ located in

the middle of the pelvis, behind the bladder, and in front of the rectum.

Length of uterus-7.5-8cm,Width of uterus at fundus-5cm,Thickness of

uterine walls-2.5cm,Weight of uterus- 50-80g. The main function of the
uterus is to sustain a developing fetus.

The uterus is divided into 3 main parts: the fundus, body, and cervix. The uterus
consists of the following:
THE FUNDUS is the top of the uterus. It is a thick, muscular round region present above the
entry of the fallopian tubes.

THE MAIN BODY(CORPUS)- is the main part of the uterus and includes the uterine cavity.
The body is triangular and lies between the opening of the tubes and the isthmus.
The corpus can easily expand to hold a developing baby. The corpus of the uterus,
which consists of muscle tissue, can stretch to accommodate a growing fetus.

THE CERVIX - is the lower, narrow part of the uterus. The cervix(lower part that opens into
the vagina)-It is cylindrical in shape and measures about 2.5cm. Sperm can enter and
menstrual blood can exit the uterus through a channel in the cervix (cervical
canal). The cervix is usually a good barrier against bacteria.

The channel through the cervix is lined with cells and glands that secrete mucus.
This mucus is thick and impenetrable to sperm until just before ovulation. At
ovulation, the mucus becomes clear and elastic (because the level of the
hormone estrogen increases). As a result, sperm can swim through the mucus into
the uterus to the fallopian tubes, where fertilization can take place.

The thick wall of the uterus has 3 layers

The wall consists of three layers from outside inwards-Perimetrium, Myometrium

and Endometrium
1. Perimetrium: it is the outermost serous layer and is an extension of the
parietal peritoneum. Its function is to provide support to the uterus.

2. Myometrium-is the middle and thickest layer of the uterus wall. It is made up mostly
of smooth muscle and comprises most of the uterine wall. It is the layer that allows the
uterus to stretch during pregnancy and childbirth.

3. Endometrium: is the inner layer that lines the uterus. It is made up of glandular cells
that make secretions.As part of a woman's reproductive cycle (which usually
lasts about a month), the lining of the corpus (endometrium) thickens. If
the woman does not become pregnant during that cycle, most of the
endometrium is shed and bleeding occurs, resulting in the menstrual
period.
 OVARIES: The ovaries are small, oval-shaped glands that are located on either side of the
uterus, below the uterine tubes, attached to the back of the broad ligament of the uterus.

Colour-Pinkish grey.
Measurements-Length-3cm, Breadth-2cm and Thickness-1cm.
The ovaries produce eggs and hormones. The ovaries are usually pearl-colored, oblong, and
about the size of a walnut. They are attached to the uterus by ligaments. In addition to
producing female sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone) and some male sex hormones, the
ovaries produce and release eggs. The developing egg cells (oocytes) are contained in fluid-
filled cavities (follicles) in the wall of the ovaries. Each follicle contains one oocyte.
The main functions of the ovaries are:

 To produce oocytes (female gametes) in preparation for fertilisation.

 To produce the sex steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone, in response to pituitary
gonadotrophins (LH and FSH).

FALLOPIAN TUBES: FALLOPIAN TUBES: The uterine tubes (or fallopian tubes, oviducts,
salpinx) are muscular ‘J-shaped’ tubes, found in the female reproductive tract.The two fallopian
tubes, which are about 4 to 5 inches (about 10 to 13 centimeters) long, extend from the upper
edges of the uterus toward the ovaries. They have a number of finger-like projections known
as fimbriae on the end near the ovary. When an egg is released by the ovary it is ‘caught’
by one of the fimbriae and transported along the fallopian tube to the uterus.It takes the egg
about 5 days to reach the uterus and it is on this journey down the fallopian tube that fertilisation
may occur if a sperm penetrates and fuses with the egg.

The fallopian tubes are lined with tiny hairlike projections (cilia). The cilia and the muscles in
the tube's wall propel an egg downward through the tube to the uterus. The egg may be fertilized
by a sperm in the fallopian tube.

These are narrow tubes that are attached to the upper part of the uterus and serve as pathways for
the ova (egg cells) to travel from the ovaries to the uterus. Fertilization of an egg by a sperm
normally occurs in the fallopian tubes. The fertilized egg then moves to the uterus, where it
implants to the uterine lining.

PARTS OF FALLOPIAN TUBE-The intestinal portion, The isthumus ,The ampulla ,The
infundibulum and The intra mural part.

 Fimbriae – finger-like, ciliated projections which capture the ovum from the surface of
the ovary.
 Infundibulum – funnel-shaped opening near the ovary to which fimbriae are attached.
 Ampulla – widest section of the uterine tubes. Fertilization usually occurs here.
 Isthmus – narrow section of the uterine tubes connecting the ampulla to the uterine
cavity.

Structures-It consists of three layers-Serous,Muscular and Mucous Membrane

Fertilization of an egg by a sperm normally occurs in the fallopian tubes. The fertilized egg then
moves to the uterus, where it implants to the uterine lining. The tubes do not directly connect
with the ovaries. Instead, the end of each tube flares into a funnel shape with fingerlike
extensions (fimbriae). When an egg is released from an ovary, the fimbriae guide the egg into
the opening of a fallopian tube.

This pathway consists of the following:

 Vagina (part of the birth canal), where sperm are deposited and from
which a baby can emerge
 Cervix (the lower part of the uterus), where sperm enter and which opens
(dilates) when a pregnant woman is ready to gives birth
 Uterus, where an embryo can develop into a fetus
 Fallopian tubes (oviducts), where sperm can fertilize an egg after traveling
through the cervix and uterus
 Ovaries, which produce and release eggs.Sperm can travel up the tract, and
eggs down the tract.

Female reproductive system functions

Function of Ovaries
The main function of ovaries are as follows:
1. The primary function of the ovaries is to produce an egg or ova each
month.
2. Also, ovaries produce several hormones. Among these hormones are the
estrogens, which include estradiol, estrone, and estriol, with estradiol being
 the most abundant. The ovaries also produce progesterone, inhibin, and
relaxin.
Function of fallopian tubes
1. They catch the oocyte when released from the ovaries.
2. It is also a place where fertilization takes place.
3. If fertilization occurs, fallopian tubes swept away the zygote into the
uterus.
Function of uterus in female reproductive system
1. It is the primary organ where implantation takes places.
2. It provides both space and nourishment to the developing baby.
3. Also, it expands in size during pregnancy to meet the needs of the growing
baby.
Function of the vagina
1. The functions of the vagina are to receive sperm from the penis during
sexual intercourse.
2. It provides the exit for menstrual blood flow
3. Also, it functions as a birth canal at the end of pregnancy.
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