Female Reproductive System: Functions and Anatomy

The female reproductive system is made up of internal and external organs. It produces hormones and also regulates your fertility, menstruation and sexual activity. Read on further to understand the components of female reproductive system in detail.

Understanding the Female Reproductive System

The female reproductive system comprises the body structures that assist you in having sexual intercourse, reproducing offspring or menstruating.

Parts of the Female Reproductive System

The female reproductive anatomy comprises both external and internal structures.

External parts

The main role of your external genitals is to keep your internal parts healthy and prevent infection, and to let sperm enter your vagina. Your vulva is the scientific term used collectively for all your external genitals.

The major parts of your vulva or external genitals are:

• Labia majora: Your labia majora (large lips) cover and protect the rest of the external reproductive organs. Hair grows on the skin of your labia majora during puberty, and they have sweat and oil-secreting glands.

• Labia minora: Your labia minora (small lips) may be of different sizes and shapes. They are situated just inside your labia majora, and encircle the opening to your vagina – the tube that connects the lower portion of your uterus to the outside of your body, and urethra – the tube that delivers urine from your bladder to the outside of your body. This skin there is extremely sensitive and can get easily irritated and inflamed.

• Clitoris: Your two labia minora come together at your clitoris – a little, sensitive bump that is similar to a penis. Your clitoris is protected by a fold of skin called the prepuce and is highly sensitive to touch.

• Vaginal opening: Your vaginal opening is where menstrual blood and babies come out of your body. Fingers, penises, sex toys or tampons can enter your vagina through your vaginal opening.

• Hymen: Your hymen is a patch of tissue covering or encircling part of your vaginal opening. It is created during growth and exists at birth.

• Urethral opening: The opening to your urethra is the hole you pee out of.

Internal parts

• Vagina: Your vagina is a muscular tube that connects the cervix (the lower portion of uterus) to the outside world. It can stretch to fit the baby for delivery and then return to its normal size to accommodate something like a narrow tampon. It is lined with mucous membranes that keep it moist.

• Cervix: Your cervix is the bottom part of your uterus. There is a hole in the middle that lets sperm in and menstrual blood out. Your cervix dilates or opens so that a baby can come out during a vaginal birth. Your cervix keeps things like tampons from getting lost within your body.

• Uterus: Your uterus is a pear-shaped, hollow organ that contains a foetus during pregnancy. Your uterus is separated into two sections – the cervix and the corpus. Your corpus is the bigger section of your uterus that enlarges during pregnancy.

• Ovaries: Ovaries are little, oval-shaped glands found to the sides of your uterus. Your ovaries are responsible for producing eggs and hormones.

• Fallopian tubes: These are thin tubes that are connected to the top of your uterus and act as roads for your egg or ovum to travel between your ovaries and your uterus. Sperm normally fertilise an egg inside the fallopian tubes. The egg then travels to the uterus, where it implants into your uterine lining.

Functions of Female Reproductive System

The female reproductive system has a number of functions. Apart from enabling you to engage in sexual intercourse, it also enables you to reproduce.

Your eggs are produced by your ovaries. The eggs are carried to your fallopian tube during ovulation where fertilisation by sperm is possible. The fertilised egg then travels to your uterus, where the lining of the uterus has thickened due to the regular hormones of your menstrual cycle (also referred to as your reproductive cycle). The fertilised egg, once in your uterus, can implant in the thickened uterine lining and grow further. If implantation fails to occur, the lining of the uterus is shed during your menstrual period. Besides, the female reproductive system releases sex hormones which regulate your menstrual cycle.

The female reproductive system also ceases making female hormones during menopause, which are necessary for the proper functioning of your menstrual cycle. During this time, you will often experience irregular menstrual cycles which eventually stop. It can be considered a menopause when you will stop getting menstrual periods for consecutive 12 months, which is an entire year.

What happens during the menstrual cycle?

Females belonging to the reproductive age group – between 11 to 16 years – go through cycles of hormonal activity which recur at every month. Every cycle indicates that your body is preparing for a potential pregnancy – no matter if it is your intention or not. Menstruation basically means the periodic shedding of your uterine lining when pregnancy does not occur in that cycle. These days of your cycle when you observe vaginal bleeding are commonly known as ‘period’.

The typical menstrual cycle lasts around 28 days and goes through phases. These phases are:

• The follicular phase, where the egg matures

• The ovulatory phase, where the egg is released

• The luteal phase characterised by the decrease in hormone levels if the egg fails to implant

There are four important hormones (chemicals which stimulate or control the activity of cells or organs) that act in the menstrual cycle. These hormones are:

• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

• Luteinising hormone (LH)

• Oestrogen

• Progesterone

How many eggs does a woman have?

You are born with all the eggs you will ever have. Throughout foetal development, you contain roughly 6 million eggs. At birth, there are roughly 1 million eggs. By puberty, you have only around 300,000 remaining. The amount of eggs you do have also decreases as you get older and as you menstruate each month. Fertility likewise decreases as you age because of diminishing numbers and quality of the eggs you still possess.

How does reproduction occur?

Female and male reproductive systems in humans collaborate to reproduce. There exist two types of sex cells – sperm and eggs. When sperm comes into contact with an egg, it fertilises it and forms a zygote. The zygote then develops into a foetus. Both sperm and an egg are required for human reproduction.

Conclusion

The female sex organs are used for sexual activity, fertility, menstruation and reproduction. Reproductive organs are slightly different in everyone. Some individuals are born without reproductive organs or with irregularly-shaped reproductive organs. This may impair the functioning of their reproductive system and result in irregular bleeding, problems getting pregnant or painful intercourse. Talk to a private female gynaecologist in London if you have questions about your genitals or have concerning symptoms.