FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE

SYSTEM

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 FUNCTIONS OF FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
• Ovaries produce secondary oocytes and hormones, including
progesterone and estrogens (female sex hormones), inhibin,
and relaxin.
• The uterine tubes transport a secondary oocyte to the uterus
and normally are the sites where fertilization occurs.
• The uterus is the site of implantation of a fertilized ovum,
development of the fetus during pregnancy, and labor.
• The vagina receives the penis during sexual intercourse and is a
passageway for childbirth.
• The mammary glands synthesize, secrete, and eject milk for
nourishment of the newborn.
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 ANATOMY OF FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
• The main external structures are:
• Labia majora
• Labia minora
• Bartholin’s glands
• Clitoris
• The main internal structures include:
• Vagina
• Uterus
• Ovaries
• Fallopian tubes
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• 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.

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• 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.
• The clitoris is covered by a fold of skin, called the
prepuce.
• Clitoris is very sensitive to stimulation and can become
erect.
• Vagina:
• Canal that joins the cervix (the lower part of uterus)
to outside of the body.
• It also is known as the birth canal.
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• Uterus (womb):
• It is a hollow, pear-shaped organ situated between the urinary
bladder and the rectum.
• Itis about 7.5 cm long, 5 cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick.
• It consists of a dome-shaped portion superior to the uterine tubes
called the fundus, a tapering central portion called the body
(corpus), and an inferior narrow portion called the cervix that opens
into the vagina.
• Carpus is the main body of uterus which expand to hold a
developing baby.
• The uterus is the site of menstruation, implantation of a fertilized
ovum, development of the fetus, and labor.
• The uterus consists of three layers of tissue: perimetrium (outer
layer)
9/29/2025 , myometrium (middleMr. layer), and endometrium (inner layer).
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 Ovaries
• The ovaries are the female gonads, are paired glands that resemble
unshelled almonds in size and shape.
• The ovaries produce (1) gametes, secondary oocytes that develop
into mature ova (eggs) after fertilization, and (2) hormones, including
progesterone and estrogens (female sex hormones), inhibin, and
relaxin.
• Each ovary contains a hilum, the point of entrance and exit for blood
vessels and nerves along which the mesovarium is attached.
• Hormones are responsible for breast development, fat distribution in
hip and legs and breasts and development of reproductive organs.
• Plays a mjor role in pregnancy and fertility.
• Eggs are released periodically.
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 Fallopian tubes
• Females have two uterine (fallopian) tubes, or oviducts, that
extend laterally from the uterus which measure about 10 cm
long.
• They provide a route for sperm to reach an ovum and transport
secondary oocytes and fertilized ova from the ovaries to the
uterus.
• The funnel-shaped portion of each tube, called the
infundibulum, is close to the ovary.
• It ends in a fringe of finger-like projections called fimbriae.
• After ovulation, a secondary oocyte move from the pelvic cavity
into the infundibulum of the uterine tube.
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 oogenesis
• The formation of gametes in the ovaries is termed oogenesis.
• Oogenesis begins in females before they are even born.
• During early fetal development, primordial (primitive) germ cells migrate
from the yolk sac to the ovaries.
• There, germ cells differentiate within the ovaries into oogonia.
• At birth, approximately 200,000 to 2,000,000 primary oocytes remain in
each ovary.

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 Oogenesis

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 Menstruation
• Menstruation is the elimination of the thickened lining of the
uterus (endometrium) from the body through the vagina.
• Menstrual fluid contains blood, cells from the lining of the
uterus (endometrial cells) and mucus.
• The average length of a period (menstrucation) is between 3-7
days.
• The length of menstrual cycle is 28 to 32 days.

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 Ovarian Cycle or menstrual cycle or
menstruation

• Menstrual Phase or Menstruation (1-5 days)

• Follicular Phase (5-14th days)
• Ovulation Phase or Ovulation (14th-15th day)
• Luteal Phase (15th-28th day)

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 Follicular phase
• Starts on the 1st day of menstruation and ends with ovulation.
• Pituitary gland releases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH),
which stimulates the ovary to produce around 5-
20 follicles (tiny nodules or cyst), which bead on the surface.
• Each follicle houses an immature egg.
• Only one follicle will mature into an egg, while the others die.
• This can occur around day 10 of a 28-day cycle.
• The growth of the follicles stimulates the lining of the uterus to
thicken in the preparation of possible pregnancy.

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 Ovulation phase
• Ovulation is the release of a mature egg from the surface of the ovary.
• This generally occurs mid-cycle around 14th or 15th day of the menstrual cycle.
• During the follicular phase, the developing follicles causes a rise in the level of
oestrogen.
• The hypothalamus identifies the rising levels and releases gonadorphin
releasing hormone (GnRH).
• This hormone prompts the pituitary gland to produce raised levels of
luteinising hormone (LH) and FSH.
• Within two days, ovulation is triggered by the high levels of LH.
• The egg is funnelled into the fallopian tube and towards the uterus by waves
of small, hair-like projections.
• The life span of the typical egg is only around 24 hours.
Unless it meets a sperm during this time, it will die.

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 Luteal phase
• During ovulation, the egg bursts from its follicle, but the ruptured follicle
stays on the surface of the ovary.
• For the next two weeks, the follicle transforms into a surface known as
the corpus luteum.
• This corpus luteum starts releasing progesterone along with small
amount of oestrogen.
• This combination of hormones maintains the thickened lining of uterus,
waiting for a fertilized egg to stick or implant.
• If a fertilised egg implants in the lining of the uterus, it produces the
hormones that are necessary to maintain the corpus luteum.
• The hormones are human chorionic gonadotrphin (hCG), the hormone
that is detected in urine test for pregnancy.
• The corpus luteum keeps producing the raised levels of progesterone that
are needed to maintain the thickened lining of the uterus.

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 Common menstrual problems
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS): fluid retention, headache, fatigue
and irritability.
• Dysmenorrhoea or painful periods.
• Menorrhagia – or heavy menstrual flow
• Amenorrhoea – or absence of menstrual periods. Possible causes
include low or high body weight and excessive exercise.

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 The Menstrual Cycle

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 Hormonal Influence

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 Pregnancy
• Pregnancy, also known as gestation or gestational period, is the time
during which one or more offspring develops inside a uterus of a
woman.
• An embryo is the developing offspring during the first eight weeks
following conception, after which, the term foetus is used until birth.
• Pregnancy begins with the fertilization of an egg and continues
through to the birth of the individual.
• The length of time of gestation varies among individuals. human
gestation is 266-270 days.

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• Twenty-four hours before fertilization, the egg has finished
meiosis and becomes a mature oocyte.
• When fertilized (at conception) the egg becomes known as a
zygote. The zygote travels through the oviduct to the uterus.
• The developing embryo must implant into the wall of the uterus
within seven days, or it will deteriorate and die.
• The outer layers of the zygote (blastocyst) grow into the
endometrium by digesting the endometrial cells, and wound
healing of the endometrium closes up the blastocyst into the
tissue.

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 • Another layer of the blastocyst, the chorion, begins releasing
a hormone called human beta chorionic gonadotropin (β-
HCG) which makes its way to the corpus luteum and keeps
that structure active.
• This ensures adequate levels of progesterone that will
maintain the endometrium of the uterus for the support of
the developing embryo.
• Pregnancy tests determine the level of β-HCG in urine or
serum.
• If the hormone is present, the test is positive.

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 • The gestation period is divided into three
equal periods or trimesters.
• First trimester (1-12 weeks)
• Second trimester (13-24 weeks)
• Third trimester (25-32 weeks)

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 Labour and Birth (Parturition)
• Parturition (labor) is the physical efforts of expulsion of the fetus
and the placenta from the uterus during birth.
• Toward the end of the third trimester, oestrogen causes
receptors on the uterine wall to develop and bind the hormone
oxytocin.
• It is a positive feed back mechanism.
• At this time, the baby reorients, facing forward and down with
the back or crown of the head engaging the cervix (uterine
opening).
• This causes the cervix to stretch and nerve impulses are sent to
the hypothalamus, which signals for the release of oxytocin from
the posterior pituitary gland.
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• Contd..
• The oxytocin causes the smooth muscle in the uterine wall to
contract. At the same time, the placenta releases prostaglandins
into the uterus, increasing the contractions.
• A positive feedback relay occurs between the uterus,
hypothalamus, and the posterior pituitary to assure an adequate
supply of oxytocin. As more smooth muscle cells are recruited,
the contractions increase in intensity and force.

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