Download From Girl to Woman: Female Reproduction

From Girl to Woman:
Female Reproduction
Ovaries
The ovaries are two oval-shaped organs that lie on
either side of the uterus and contain hundreds of
thousands of eggs.
 The ovaries also produce female sex hormones such
as estrogen and progesterone.

Ovum and Ovulation
Each month the ovaries mature an egg, or
ovum, and release it into the fallopian tubes in
the process called ovulation.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What is produced in the ovaries?
A: mature eggs and hormones
Q2: What is a matured egg cell called?
A: ovum
Q3: What term describes the release of the
mature egg form the ovary?
A: ovulation
Fallopian Tubes
The fallopian tubes
connect the ovaries to
the uterus.
 Once the egg is in the
fallopian tube, tiny hairs
in the tube's lining help
push the egg down the
narrow passageway
toward the uterus.

If sperm are present at
the same time as the
egg, then the egg would
get fertilized while in the
fallopian tube.
Fimbria
At the other end of each fallopian tube is a
fringed area that looks like a funnel and is called
fimbria.
 When an egg pops out of an ovary during
ovulation, the fimbria help sweep the egg into the
fallopian tube.

Uterus
The uterus, also called
the womb, has a thick
lining and muscular walls
- some of the strongest
muscles in the female
body.
 These muscles are able
to expand and contract
to accommodate a
growing fetus and then
help push the baby out
during labor.

Knowledge Check
Q4: In what part of the system will the egg get
fertilized by the sperm cell?
A: fallopian tube
Q5: What structure sweeps the egg into the
fallopian tube?
A: fimbria
Q6: In what part of the system does the baby
grow?
A: uterus
Uterine Lining
Each month, the
uterus will develop
a uterine lining,
which is thick and
rich with blood.
 A fertilized egg can
attach to the
uterine lining and
absorb its
nutrients.

Menstruation
If the egg does not get
fertilized, the blood
supply to the uterus is
cut off and the lining
breaks away from the
wall and flows out of
the body in the form of
blood and tissue which
is called menstruation,
or period.
Knowledge Check
Q7: Why does the fertilized egg attach to the
uterine lining?
A: to absorb its nutrients
Q8: What happens to an egg that does not get
fertilized?
A: It leaves the body with the uterine lining during
menstruation, or the period
Cervix
The cervix connects the uterus with the vagina.
It has strong, thick walls with a very thin
opening, which is why a tampon can never get
lost inside a girl's body.
 During childbirth, the cervix can expand to allow
a baby to pass.

Vagina
The vagina, also called
the birth canal, is a
hollow muscular
structure that extends
from the vaginal
opening to the uterus.
 It can expand and
contract to
accommodate
something as slim as a
tampon and as wide as
a baby.

Functions of vagina:
sexual intercourse
 pathway for baby during childbirth
 route for menstrual blood to leave
the body.

Knowledge Check
Q9: What role does the cervix play in childbirth?
A: it expands (dilates) to allow the baby to pass
from the uterus and into the vagina
Q10: What is another term used for the vagina?
A: birth canal
What is That?
Q11
Q12
Q13
External Genitalia