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| How Has It All Happened? | Every school child knows that we need eggs and sperm to make a baby. But if you want to repeat it, or know in details, let us take a guided tour of the reproductive system of a human being.
The Reproductive System of a Woman
The reproductive organs on the outside of your body are called the external genitals. The genital area has three openings: in front of the urethra (the urine comes out of it), the introitus – it is the opening to the vagina, and the anus (a bowel movement leaves our body from it).
The vulva is the outer genital area. It includes clitoris (it is the most sensitive part of the genitals, as there are many nerve endings on it. Clitoris is protected by skin, and it is the equivalent of the man’s penis), the labia majora and the labia minora. The labia majora is also called the outer lips; they surround the opening to the vagina and are made of fatty tissue, which protects vaginal opening. The labia minora are inner lips, they are extremely sensitive to sexual pleasure, and they are situated between the labia majora.
The vagina is a tunnel of muscles, its walls are smooth and soft, it connects the uterus to the outside of the body. The menstrual fluid and the semen go along it to the uterus. In a normal condition, the vagina is flat, but it can stretch to accommodate a tampon, a penis or a baby’s head. The vagina ends up at the cervix.
The uterus is the place, where the fertilized egg grows and develops into a baby during the term of pregnancy. It is situated deep in the lower part of the abdomen – the pelvis, and it is just behind the urinary bladder. This organ is hollow, it is about the size of a fist, and it has a shape of a pear. There is a very rich lining – the endometrium inside the uterus and it is in this very lining the fertilized egg implants. In case if the pregnancy does not occur, the lining goes out along with the blood as the menstrual flow.
The cervix is called the neck of the uterus. It connects the uterus with the vagina, and contains glands, called crypts; they produce mucus which keeps all the harmful bacteria out of uterus. This cervical mucus also provides sperm in the uterus, when the egg is ripe.
There are two fallopian tubes, attached to the upper part of the uterus on either side and they are about …..10 cm.. long. They are about of a piece of spaghetti in size. Each of these tubes forms a passageway, which opens like a funnel into the abdominal cavity, next to the ovaries. The ends of these tubes are draped over the two ovaries and they have a function of a so – called passageway for the egg to come from the ovary into the uterus. The tube has millions of tiny hairs which are called cilia, they beat in a rhythmical way in order to help the egg go forward. The tubes are not only passages; they perform other functions as well, like nourishing the egg and the early embryo in its cavity. The process of the egg fertilization by the sperm also occurs in one of these tubes.
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