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FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ANATOMY

EXTERNAL GENITALIA
2

The vulva refers to those

parts that are outwardly
visible

The vulva includes:

Mons pubis

Labia majora

Individual differences in:

Size

Labia minora

Coloration

Clitoris

Shape

Urethral opening

Vaginal opening

Perineum

Mons Pubis
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The mons (also called mons venereum or mount

of Venus) is the rounded fatty mass over the
pubic bone covered with hair and coarse skin.
It acts as a buffer during sexual intercourse,
preventing injury to the underlying bone.
It also contains sebaceous and sweat glands.
Some of the latter form a specialized type of
gland called the apocrine glands.
These glands release a secretion with a
characteristic smell that increases sexual
attraction.

Before menstruation starts in a young girl, the

mons pubis contains less fat and is considerably
flattened and hairless.
At the time of puberty, the release of estrogen
and progesterone from the developing graafian
follicles in the ovaries causes the laying down of
fat in this area. Hormones from the adrenal
cortex stimulates the growth of pubic hair on the
mons pubis, as well as in the external surface of
the labia major as well as the perineum.
After menopause, the pubic hair becomes
thinner, coarser and starts to grey. The mons
loses the pad of fat. In a very elderly woman,

Labia Majora
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The labia majora are bilateral folds of skin with

underlying fat extending backwards from the
mons pubis.
They are homologous to the scrotum in males.
Posteriorly they merge into the perineum in front
of the anus.
Their outer surface becomes covered with hair at
puberty.
But the inner surface remains smooth, moistened
by the secretions from the sebaceous and other
glands deep inside.
The labia majora also contain apocrine glands.

In a young girl, before

the onset of
menstruation, the labia
major are thinner with
less fat and a fine
smooth skin.
Hair growth over the
labia is one of the
first signs of maturity
of the ovaries with
the growth of
graafian follicles.

In women in
menopause, the labia
becomes thinner with
less fat and
considerable hair loss.

Labia Minora
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The labia minora are delicate flaps of soft

skin which lie within the labia majora.
They may be of different sizes in different
women and if large enough, may protrude
from between the labia majora.
Their inner surfaces remain in contact with
each other.
Anteriorly, they unite to enclose the
clitoris between them, forming the
prepuce and frenulum from before
backwards.

The labia minora contains no fat but are so

vascular that they become turgid during sexual
stimulation.
Since the labia are very thin and delicate, they
can get torn during labor and childbirth causing
heavy bleeding.
Bleeding can continue even in the postpartum
period and postpartum infections are a common
occurance.

Vestibule
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The vestibule is the part of the

vulva lying between the two labia
minora.

It has two important openings :

(a) the external urethral opening

which is a small slit-like opening
just behind the clitoris

(b) the vaginal opening which is

a larger opening behind the
urethral opening.
In virgins, the opening of the
vagina is covered by a thin
incomplete membrane, called
the hymen.

injuries during labor occurs

commonly in the vestibular region,

Clitoris
11

The clitoris is present in the upper part of the

vestibule at the point where the two labia minor
meet.
It is a small cylindrical structure homologous to
the penis in males.
Like the male penis, it also has a glans, a prepuce
and two corpora cavernosa which are attached to
the pubic bones.
The clitoris is made up of erectile tissue and is
richly supplied with nerves, making it the most
erotically sensitive part of the body.

UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Bartholin glands :
are small pea-sized glands
situated inside the vestibule
on either side of the vaginal
opening.
They produce a mucoid
secretion at times of sexual
excitement that help to
lubricate the vagina and vulva.

Vestibular bulbs : They are

embedded in the mucous
membrane of the vestibule and
are composed of erectile tissue.

Perineum : The perineum is the

less hairy cutaneous area lying
between the vaginal orifice in
front and the anus behind.

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PERINEUM
The muscle and tissue located between the

vaginal opening and anal canal

It supports and surrounds the lower parts of
the urinary and digestive tracts
The perinium contains an abundance of
nerve endings that make it sensitive to touch
An episiotomy is an incision of the perinium
used during childbirth for widening the
vaginal opening
UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM

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INTERNAL GENITALIA
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The internal genitalia consists of the:

Vagina
Cervix
Uterus
Fallopian Tubes
Ovaries

UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

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UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Vagina
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The vagina is an elastic fibromuscular, hollow structure

extending upwards and backwards from the vulva.

It connects the uterus to the external surface of the body

through the vaginal opening in the vulva.

The vagina is the organ for sexual intercourse in the female

body and forms the birth canal inlabour during the delivery
of a baby.

It is also the opening through which the menstrual blood

flows out during the menstrual period.

It is about 2.5 cm wide and 7 cm to 9cm long.

it has a great capacity to distend as is seen during

childbirth.

UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

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The G-spot or the Graafenberg spot (also

spelt as 'Grafenberg') is believed to be
an erotic spot in the vagina that is highly
sensitive to sexual stimulus.
It is said to be a triangular area in the
anterior vaginal wall, about 2.5cm from
the vaginal opening and along the
urethra.
But anatomical dissection by many
researchers have not found evidence of
UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
the existence of the G-spot.

Uterus
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The uterus is a hollow,

muscular pear-shaped
structure situated deep in
the pelvis and well
protected by the pelvic
bones.

It looks roughly like an

inverted triangle with the
broad base as its roof and
the narrow apex at its
lower end.

This lower end also called

the cervix opens into the
vagina.

The two angles on the two

ends of the base of the

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The adult uterus is about

8cm long and 5cm wide at
its thickest part.

Before the onset of

menstruation, its length
ranges from 2cm to 5
cms.

The weight varies from

50gms to 80 gms. The
non-pregnant uterus can
hold only about 5ml of
fluid.

The inner lining of the

uterus called the
endometrium
is a spongy
UNIT
3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
area with a rich blood

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Monthly shedding of this

endometrium results in the
phenomenon called menstruation.

The muscles of the uterus have a

great capacity to increase both in
number and in size (up to 500
times its normal size) during
pregnancy.

The uterus is the organ that

receives, implants, retains and
nourishes the foetus till it is
mature.

It increases gradually in size from

the first trimester through the
second trimester and upto the end
of the third trimester.

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Fallopian tubes
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Also called the Oviducts, there are two fallopian tubes on

either side the uterus.

They extend out from the uterus like arms reaching for the
ovaries which are positioned near them.

Each tube has two openings.

One opening connects to the uterus.
The other opening is larger and wider and has a number
of finger-like projections all around it called the fimbriae.

The fimbriae lie near the ovary of the same side and picks
up the ovum at the time it is released from the ovary
(ovulation).

Microscopic hairs called cilia line the inner side of the tube
and help in propelling the ovum towards the uterus.

UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

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Each tube is about 10cms

long.

The width varies at different

parts along the length,
being more towards the
ovarian side and thinner but
more muscular towards the
uterine side.

Its widest part, the ampulla

lies next to the fimbria and
its importance lies in the
fact that fertilization of the
ovum by the sperm usually
occurs in this region.

The3:fallopian
tubes are SYSTEM
also
UNIT
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
the commonest site where

Ovaries
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The two ovaries are situated

on either side of the uterus.

They are the female sex

gonads and are responsible
for the release of a mature
ovum every month
('ovulation').

They are also the chief

producers of the female sex
hormones estrogen and
progesterone.

The ovaries are pinkish-white

in colour and roughly oval in
shape, being 3cm in length,
2cm in breadth and 1cm in
width approximately.

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During the reproductive life, i.e. from puberty to

menopause, the cortex contains numerous
Graafian follicles at different stages of
development.
Every month a Graafian follicle in one of the
ovaries matures and releases an ovum. This
phenomenon is called 'ovulation'.
During a womans lifetime only about 400 follicles
reach maturity.
A woman attains menopause when the number of
follicles in her ovaries decreases below a critical
level.
The ovaries shrink in size and become whitish in

Breast
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The female breasts or mammary glands are also called the

accessory reproductive organs.

Although they are not directly involved with pregnancy or

delivery, they nevertheless play a vital role in the
development of the baby.

During childhood, the breasts in a young girl consists of a

simple system of ducts and are not very different from the
breasts of a young boy.

Breasts start to develop from about the age of 9 - 10 years

just before the onset of the first menstrual period, under
the influence of hormones from the adrenal cortex as well
as by estrogen and progesterone secreted by the ovaries.

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The ducts develop into

more intricate ductules.

Small cells called alveoli

capable of producing milk
from blood develop
around the ductules.

Fat is deposited around

the acini to produce the
typical rounded shape of
the breasts.

Each breast is divided into

15 - 20 lobes separated
from each other by fat.

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Each lobe is again

divided into lobules
that are made up of
masses of alveoli
clustered around the
ductules.

The milk is collected

from each alveoli by
these fine ductules
which join each other to
form a single larger
duct called the
lactiferous duct.

Each
lobule
is drained
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3: FEMALE
REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM

by a single lactiferous

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Thus, each breast has 15 - 20 lactiferous ducts which drain

the milk towards the nipple.

Behind each nipple, the duct dilates to form the ampulla

where the milk is stored.

This milk is released through the lactiferous openings at

the tip of the nipple at the time of suckling of the baby.

The areola is a pigmented area about 2.5cm in size placed

at the center of the breast. It contains numerous sebaceous
and sweat glands which keep it well moisturized.

The nipple is a pigmented projection in the center of the

areola accommodating the 15 to 20 lactiferous ducts and
their openings.

It contains erectile muscles which causes the nipple to become

erect on stimulation.

Although the breast is embedded in fat, there is no fat under

the areola or nipple.

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The adult female breast is supported by fibrous tissue

extending from the pectoral muscles on the chest wall
below it.

Thin strands of fibrous tissue also extend forwards from the

breast to the skin.

The size of the breast depends to a large extent on the

amount of fat surrounding the lobules.

Since the ability of the breast to secrete milk depends on

its lobules and not on the fat, the size of the breast has no
relation to the amount of milk it can produce during
breastfeeding.

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Breast Changes During the Menstrual Cycle

The breast tissue undergoes cyclic changes in response to

the level of estrogen and progesterone secreted during the
menstrual cycle.

In the early part of the menstrual cycle, the level of

estrogen rises, causing some amount of enlargement of the
breast ducts.

In the later part, just before the menstrual period, the high
level of progesterone causes the enlargement of the
alveolar cells.

These changes may cause enlargement and tenderness of

the breasts just before the menstrual period.

This is more commonly seen in women who have suffer

from premenstrual tension(PMS) and in a condition known
as fibrocystic disease of the breast.

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Breast Changes During Pregnancy

During the early pregnancy, the breast ducts and alveolar cells begin to
develop and grow under the influence of a hormone called prolactin.

More fat is depositied around the cells.

The areola becomes pigmented and a surrounding area of pigmented cells

called the secondary areola may be seen in the second trimester of
pregnancy.

The nipples also become darker and more prominent.

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Fine veins may become prominenet on the

surface of the breast.
In the third trimester of pregnancy, the breasts
may secrete a thin liquid called colostrum.
Colostrum secretion usually occurs on squeezing
the breasts, but may also occur spontaneously.
After the childbirth and when breastfeeding
starts, the breasts may increase even more in
size. Complications like breast engorgement and
breast abscesses can occur at this time.