The female reproductive system is made
up of the external and internal genital
organs. The breasts are also sometimes
considered part of the reproductive
system.
Tthe vagina is a tube-like muscular organ
that connects the external genital
organs to the uterus. It is the
passageway for sperm to reach the egg in
the uterus, for menstrual bleeding, and
through which babies are delivered
during birth.
The uterus is a thick-walled organ in
the middle of the pelvis that functions
to support the developing fetus. Its
muscular walls contract during labor to
push the baby out and the cervical canal
widens to let the baby through. The two
fallopian tubes extend from the uterus
towards the ovaries where eggs and the
female sex hormones are produced. During puberty the ovaries increase the
production of estrogen and progesterone,
causing a sequence of changes that
include breast development and
menstruation. The fallopian tubes are
where the egg is fertilized by the sperm.
The fertilized egg is propelled to the
uterus by the hairlike projections that
line the fallopian tubes. The female
breasts are composed of milk producing
glands surrounded by fatty tissue. During
the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy a
woman's body produces hormones that
stimulate the production of milk which
is secreted by the glands and flows
through ducts and out through the nipples.
