Female Reproductive Organs
The internal female genital organs comprise the pelvic group which includes: ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and vagina.
The ovaries are almond-shaped, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries' main functions are to produce ova and to secrete hormones.
The fallopian tubes are located above the ovaries and connected to the uterus. They are approximately four inches long and composed of the same tissue as the uterus. Each tube is divided into three sections: isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum. They transport the ova from the ovaries to the uterus.
The uterus is a pear-shaped, hollow organ. It is approximately three inches long, two inches wide, and one and one-third inches thick. The upper portion is called the body, while the lower portion, which projects into the vagina, is called the cervix. The uterus has three tissue layers, the parietal peritoneum, the myometrium, and the endometrium. The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus, a portion of which is sloughed off during menstruation and following delivery of a baby.
The vagina is the tubular organ which leads from the uterus to the exterior. It lies anterior to the rectum and posterior to the bladder. It is a muscular, collapsible tube lined with a mucous membrane which partly covers the vaginal opening; the rupture or absence of this membrane, the hymen, is not reliable evidence of lost virginity. The vagina receives the seminal fluid from the male, excretes menstrual flow and uterine secretions, and serves as a birth canal.
The vulva, or external female genitals, is composed of a number of organs including the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, urinary meatus, and the greater vestibular glands. The mons pubis is a pad of fat lying over the pubic bone and covered with skin and, after puberty, hair. The labias majora and minora are lip-like folds of skin covering the urinary meatus and vaginal opening. The greater vestibular glands are bean-shaped glands, found on either side of the vaginal opening, which secrete lubricating fluid.
References
Antony, C.P. & G.A. Thibodeaw. 1979. Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology. The C.V. Mosby Company, St. Louis. 731 pp.
Lockhart, R.D., G.F. Hamilton, et. al. 1974. Anatomy of The Human Body. Faber and Faber Limited. London. 697 pp.
Van Amerongen, C. The Way Things Work; Book Of The Body. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.
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