What organs make up the female reproductive system? The female reproductive organs consist of five main parts: the vagina, the cervix, the uterus, two fallopian tubes, and a pair of ovaries. The vagina is the channel that connects the outside of the body to the internal reproductive system. The vagina is connected to the cervix at the internal end of the body. The cervix is a narrow passage that leads into the uterus. The uterus is a pear-shaped hollow organ. Although the inside of the uterus is empty, it is a dynamic organ. The uterus plays an important role in the menstrual cycle and provides a growth environment and nutritional support for the development of the fetus and produces uterine contractions during the female sexual response. The inside of the uterus is like an inverted triangle, and the endometrium is shed once a month with menstruation. Each month, the endometrium thickens in preparation for pregnancy, and when pregnancy does not occur, the endometrium is shed from the uterus and expelled from the body, resulting in a monthly menstruation. When pregnancy occurs, the endometrium softens and thickens to accept and protect the fertilized egg that is deposited. The uterus is an extremely stretchy organ made of smooth muscle that can stretch several times its normal size during pregnancy to accommodate a full-term pregnancy. This is especially true for pregnant women who are carrying quadruplets, quintuplets, or even septuplets. Not only can the uterus stretch to accommodate multiple pregnancies, but it can stretch several times to accommodate the growth of uterine smooth muscle tumors. In some cases, the fibroids can reach the size of the uterus at full term, or even larger. Uterine prolapse is another gynecological condition in which the uterus changes its position in the pelvis. When the uterus prolapses outside the vagina, a hysterectomy is performed. What you will find interesting is that the uterus is held in place by eight ligaments that will be severed whether the hysterectomy is transabdominal or transvaginal. The fallopian tubes, which are attached to the top part of the uterus, are the tubes that transport the egg cells to the uterus. The outermost finger-like part of the fallopian tube is called the umbilical end of the fallopian tube, which draws the egg cells from the ovary into the fallopian tube. The fallopian tube has a contractile function that pushes the egg cells from the fallopian tube into the uterus. When the egg cell is not fertilized, it will be expelled with the menstruation. In case the fertilized egg fails to travel to the uterus and stays in the fallopian tube, a tubal pregnancy occurs, which is often referred to medically as ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies can be life-threatening and are often detected when a woman experiences severe abdominal pain. Some ectopic pregnancies require surgical removal of the affected fallopian tubes. In hysterectomies and in some cases where the fallopian tubes are intact and undamaged, the tubes are not always removed. Why are the ovaries so important? In her book Female Geography, Pulitzer Prize winner Natalie *Anger writes, “A close look at the ovaries is like two piles of oat ears.” At first this metaphor sounded rather inappropriate for describing the ovaries’ function of regulating menstruation through female hormones and providing egg cells for the birth of new life. Although the metaphor may sound unpleasant, the ovaries are the most dynamic organ in the body. In fact, the uneven structure on the surface of the ovaries is the result of ovulation. Each month, one of the two ovaries expels an egg cell from a mature follicle. If the ovulation cycle is counted by 28, ovulation often occurs around day 14 in the middle of the cycle. The ovaries are located on either side of the uterus. Each ovary contains thousands of oocytes
(They are also called embryonic cells because they are able to develop and grow when fertilized). The ovaries ovulate one egg per month starting at puberty and then follow this pattern metaphorically until the end of the reproductive years. During the reproductive years, the two ovoid glands of the ovary are about the size of two bitter almonds, and become smaller in the late menopausal period.