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Learning Objectives
- Examine the anatomy of the female reproductive system
- Determine the main functions of the female reproductive system
- Differentiate the medical terms of the female reproductive system and common abbreviations
- Recognize the medical specialties associated with the female reproductive system
- Discover common diseases, disorders, and procedures related to the female reproductive system
Female Reproductive System Word Parts
Click on prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes to reveal a list of word parts to memorize for the female reproductive system.
Introduction to the Female Reproductive System
The female reproductive system produces gametes and reproductive hormones. In addition, the female reproductive system supports the developing fetus and delivers it to the outside world. The female reproductive system is located primarily inside the pelvic cavity. The female gonads are called ovaries and the gamete they produce is called an oocyte.
Watch this video:
Media 17.1. Reproductive System, Part 1 – Female Reproductive System: Crash Course A&P #40 [Online video]. Copyright 2015 by CrashCourse.
Practice Medical Terms Related to the Female Reproductive System
Anatomy (Structures) of the Female Reproductive System
External Female Genitals
The external female reproductive structures are referred to collectively as the vulva and they include:
- The mons pubis, a pad of fat that is located at the anterior, over the pubic bone. After puberty, it becomes covered in pubic hair.
- The labia majora (labia = “lips”; majora = “larger”), folds of hair-covered skin that begin just posterior to the mons pubis.
- The labia minora (labia = “lips”; minora = “smaller”), which is thinner and more pigmented and extends medially to the labia majora.
- Although they naturally vary in shape and size from woman to woman, the labia minora serve to protect the female urethra and the entrance to the female reproductive tract.
- The superior, anterior portions of the labia minora come together to encircle the clitoris (or glans clitoris), an organ that originates from the same cells as the glans penis and has abundant nerves that make it important in sexual sensation and orgasm. The hymen is a thin membrane that sometimes partially covers the entrance to the vagina.
- The vaginal opening is located between the opening of the urethra and the anus. It is flanked by outlets to the Bartholin’s glands.
It also serves as the exit from the uterus during menses and childbirth. The outer walls of the anterior and posterior vagina are columns with ridges. The superior fornix meets the uterine cervix. The cervix is the opening to the uterus.
The walls of the vagina are lined with:
- An outer, fibrous adventitia
- A middle layer of smooth muscle
- An inner mucous membrane with transverse folds called rugae.
Together, the middle and inner layers allow the expansion of the vagina to accommodate intercourse and childbirth. The thin, perforated hymen can partially s