From%20Girl%20to%20Woman:%20Female%20Reproduction

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From Girl to WomanFemale Reproduction
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Ovaries

• The ovaries are two oval-shaped organs that lie
  on either side of the uterus and contain hundreds
  of thousands of eggs.
• The ovaries also produce female sex hormones such
  as estrogen and progesterone.

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Ovum and Ovulation

• Each month the ovaries mature an egg, or ovum,
  and release it into the fallopian tubes in the
  process called ovulation.

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Knowledge Check

• Q1 What is produced in the ovaries?
• A mature eggs and hormones
• Q2 What is a matured egg cell called?
• A ovum
• Q3 What term describes the release of the
  mature egg form the ovary?
• A ovulation

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Fallopian Tubes

• The fallopian tubes connect the ovaries to the
  uterus.
• Once the egg is in the fallopian tube, tiny hairs
  in the tube's lining help push the egg down the
  narrow passageway toward the uterus.

If sperm are present at the same time as the egg,
then the egg would get fertilized while in the
fallopian tube.
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Fimbria

• At the other end of each fallopian tube is a
  fringed area that looks like a funnel and is
  called fimbria.
• When an egg pops out of an ovary during
  ovulation, the fimbria help sweep the egg into
  the fallopian tube.

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Uterus

• The uterus, also called the womb, has a thick
  lining and muscular walls - some of the strongest
  muscles in the female body.
• These muscles are able to expand and contract to
  accommodate a growing fetus and then help push
  the baby out during labor.

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Knowledge Check

• Q4 In what part of the system will the egg get
  fertilized by the sperm cell?
• A fallopian tube
• Q5 What structure sweeps the egg into the
  fallopian tube?
• A fimbria
• Q6 In what part of the system does the baby
  grow?
• A uterus

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Uterine Lining

• Each month, the uterus will develop a uterine
  lining, which is thick and rich with blood.
• A fertilized egg can attach to the uterine lining
  and absorb its nutrients.

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Menstruation

• If the egg does not get fertilized, the blood
  supply to the uterus is cut off and the lining
  breaks away from the wall and flows out of the
  body in the form of blood and tissue which is
  called menstruation, or period.

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Knowledge Check

• Q7 Why does the fertilized egg attach to the
  uterine lining?
• A to absorb its nutrients
• Q8 What happens to an egg that does not get
  fertilized?
• A It leaves the body with the uterine lining
  during menstruation, or the period

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Cervix

• The cervix connects the uterus with the vagina.
  It has strong, thick walls with a very thin
  opening, which is why a tampon can never get lost
  inside a girl's body.
• During childbirth, the cervix can expand to allow
  a baby to pass.

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Vagina

• The vagina, also called the birth canal, is a
  hollow muscular structure that extends from the
  vaginal opening to the uterus.
• It can expand and contract to accommodate
  something as slim as a tampon and as wide as a
  baby.

• Functions of vagina
• sexual intercourse
• pathway for baby during childbirth
• route for menstrual blood to leave the body.

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Knowledge Check

• Q9 What role does the cervix play in childbirth?
• A it expands (dilates) to allow the baby to pass
  from the uterus and into the vagina
• Q10 What is another term used for the vagina?
• A birth canal

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What is That?
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External Genitalia