Female Reproduction A female’s reproductive years are between menarche

(the first menstrual cycle) and menopause (cessation of

What Is Reproduction?
menses for more than 12 consecutive months).
Reproduction is the process by which organisms make
more organisms like themselves. But even though the How does the female reproductive system work?
reproductive system is essential to keeping a species
The female reproductive system provides several
alive, unlike other body systems, it's not essential to
functions.
keeping an individual alive.
The ovaries produce the egg cells, called the ova or
The reproductive system in females is responsible for:
oocytes.
Producing gametes (called eggs or ova),

The oocytes are then transported to the fallopian tube

where fertilization by a sperm may occur.
Producing certain sex hormones, such as estrogen and
progesterone.

Estrogen is a female hormones (to keep female

characteristics in the body).

A chemical
structure of an
estrogen

The fertilized egg from fallopian tube moves to the

uterus, where the uterine lining has thickened in
Progesterone is a female sex hormone, a crucial part for response to the normal hormones of the reproductive
menstrual cycle and maintaining pregnancy. cycle.

Once in the uterus,

the fertilized egg can
implant into
thickened uterine
A chemical
structure of a Progesterone
lining and continue
to develop.
If implantation does not take place, the uterine lining is
shed as menstrual flow. In addition, the female
reproductive system produces female sex hormones
that maintain the reproductive cycle.

During menopause, the female reproductive system

gradually stops making the female hormones necessary
for the reproductive cycle to work. At this point,
menstrual cycles can become irregular and eventually
stop. One year after menstrual cycles stop, the woman
is considered to be menopausal.

What parts make-up the female anatomy?

The female reproductive anatomy includes both

external and internal structures. The internal reproductive organs include:

The function of the external female reproductive
structures (the genital) is twofold: To enable sperm to
enter the body and to protect the internal genital
organs from infectious organisms.
The main external structures of the female reproductive
system include:
 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”)
can have a variety of sizes and shapes. They 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.
• Vagina: 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.
• Uterus (womb): The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped
organ that is the home to a developing fetus. The uterus
is divided into two parts: the cervix, which is the lower
part that opens into the vagina, and the main body of
the uterus, called the corpus. The corpus can easily
expand to hold a developing baby. A canal through the
cervix allows sperm to enter and menstrual blood to
exit.
• Ovaries: The ovaries are small, oval-shaped glands
that are located on either side of the uterus. The ovaries
produce eggs and hormones.
• Fallopian tubes: 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.

 Bartholin’s glands: These glands are located

next to the vaginal opening on each side and
produce a fluid (mucus) secretion.

 Clitoris: The two labia minora meet at the

clitoris, a small, sensitive protrusion that is
comparable to the penis in males. The clitoris is
covered by a fold of skin, called the prepuce,
which is similar to the foreskin at the end of the
penis. Like the penis, the clitoris is very sensitive
to stimulation and can become erect.
What happens during the menstrual cycle?

Females of reproductive age (beginning anywhere from

11 to 16 years of age) experience cycles of hormonal
activity that repeat at about one-month intervals.
Menstru means "monthly” – leading to the term
menstrual cycle. With every cycle, a woman’s body
prepares for a potential pregnancy, whether or not that
is the woman’s intention. The term menstruation refers
 These hormones (FSH and LH) also trigger an
to the periodic shedding of the uterine lining. Many
increase in the production of the female
women call the days that they notice vaginal bleeding
hormone estrogen.
their “period,” “menstrual” or cycle.
 As estrogen levels rise, like a switch, it turns off
The average menstrual cycle takes about 28 days and
the production of follicle-stimulating hormone.
occurs in phases. These phases include:
This careful balance of hormones allows the
The follicular phase (development of the egg) body to limit the number of follicles that will
The ovulatory phase (release of the egg) prepare eggs to be released.
The luteal phase (hormone levels decrease if the egg
 As the follicular phase progresses, one follicle in
does not implant)
one ovary becomes dominant and continues to
There are four major hormones (chemicals that mature. This dominant follicle suppresses all of
stimulate or regulate the activity of cells or organs) the other follicles in the group. As a result, they
involved in the menstrual cycle. These hormones stop growing and die. The dominant follicle
include: continues to produce estrogen.

 Follicle-stimulating hormone Ovulatory phase

 Luteinizing hormone
 Estrogen
 Progesterone
Follicular phase
This phase starts on the first day of your period. During
the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, the following
events occur:
 Two hormones, follicle stimulating hormone
(FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are
released from the brain and travel in the blood
to the ovaries.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone - In women, FSH
helps manage the menstrual cycle and
stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs
Luteinizing hormone - Is a chemical in your
body that stimulates important processes in the
female reproductive system like ovulation.
The ovulatory phase (ovulation) usually starts about 14
days after the follicular phase started, but this can vary.
The ovulatory phase falls between the follicular phase
and luteal phase.
Follicular phase is when the ovaries release mature egg
Luteal phase is when Luteinizing hormone and Follicle
stimulating hormone levels decrease
Most women will have a menstrual period 10 to 16 days
after ovulation. During this phase, the following events
occur:
 The rise in estrogen from the dominant follicle
triggers a surge in the amount of luteinizing
hormone that is produced by the brain.
 This causes the dominant follicle to release its
egg from the ovary.


 The hormones stimulate the growth of about 15

to 20 eggs in the ovaries, each in its own "shell,"
called a follicle
  As the egg is released (a process called
ovulation) it is captured by finger-like
projections on the end of the fallopian tube
(fimbriae). The fimbriae
sweep the egg into the tube.
How many eggs does a woman have?
During fetal life, there are about 6 million to 7 million
eggs. From this time, no new eggs are produced. At
birth, there are approximately 1 million eggs; and by the
time of puberty, only about 300,000 remain. Of these,
only 300 to 400 will be ovulated during a woman's
reproductive lifetime. Fertility can drop as a woman
ages due to decreasing number and quality of the
remaining eggs.

 For one to five days prior to ovulation, many

women will notice an increase in egg white
cervical mucus. This mucus is the vaginal
discharge that helps to capture and nourish
sperm on its way to meet the egg for
fertilization.

Luteal phase
The luteal phase begins right after ovulation and
involves the following processes:

 Once it releases its egg, the empty ovarian

follicle develops into a new structure called the
corpus luteum.
Corpus luteum - It is an endocrine structure in
females existing within the ovary once the
ovarian follicle has released a mature ovum
during ovulation.

 The corpus luteum secretes the hormones

estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone
prepares the uterus for a fertilized egg to
implant.
 If intercourse has taken place and a man's
sperm has fertilized the egg (a process called
conception), the fertilized egg (embryo) will
travel through the fallopian tube to implant in
the uterus. The woman is now considered
pregnant.
 If the egg is not fertilized, it passes through the
uterus. Not needed to support a pregnancy, the
lining of the uterus breaks down and sheds, and
the next menstrual period begins.