A Quick Biology Lesson
Your Reproductive System
A lot of the time, we probably don't give our reproductive organs
the attention they deserve (unless they are playing up),
so here's a short reminder.
PLEASE NOTE: This video is from the Channel 4 website and is not associated with the Canesten brand in any way
If you haven't studied a diagram of the female reproductive system since biology lessons at school, you might be surprised at how much you have going on!
On the outside, you have the vulva which is the external visible part of your genitals. This includes your pubic mound and hair, labia, clitoris, the opening to your vagina, and urethra (the opening to your bladder).
Inside, you have your vagina, a tube which leads from your cervix (the neck of the womb) to your vulva. It’s where the man’s penis goes during sex and it’s also the exit for the blood when you’re having a period. The lining of a healthy vagina should be pink and moist, and resemble the inside of your mouth. Right at the top of your vagina, protruding into it, is your cervix, the lowest part of the uterus or womb.
Your uterus (or womb) is only the size of a light bulb when you're not pregnant. It has an inner lining, called the endometrium, which increases during your cycle and is then shed as a period if you don't become pregnant. There is a layer of muscle underneath the endometrium which is called the myometrium, and this is what pushes the baby out during childbirth.
Connected either side of your womb are two Fallopian tubes, funnel shaped tubes which are around 10 cm long. They wait to catch an egg as it's released from an ovary.
Ovaries are almond shaped organs which produce eggs when they receive hormonal messages from the brain. You have two of them, and they both produce roughly the same amount of eggs over an average woman's lifetime – although contrary to popular belief, they don't actually take turns. The egg then takes about five days to egg to travel along the fallopian tube and into the womb.