Female Anatomy And Physiologys

Aug 14 2007

The structure and Function of Female Sex Organs The reproductive organs of the female-the vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus-serve six purposes -

• They provide a receptacle for the male semen.

• They produce the ovum (egg cell).

• They serve as a meeting place for sperm and egg.

• They furnish a safe and secure site for the fertilized ovum to develop into a fetus.

• They manufacture chemicals, most notably estrogen and progesterone, essential for carrying out the female’s role in reproduction.

• They offer a source of sexual pleasure and satisfaction. Female Anatomy And Physiologys

The Vagina

The vagina is the body cavity adapted to the reception of the semen. In actuality, the vagina is a potential cavity. Unless opened by the penis or by passage of an infant during birth, the front and rear walls are virtually next to each other. In the woman who has not had sexual intercourse with vaginal entry, the entrance to the vagina is generally closed in part by the hymen, a skinlike membrane that stretches across the vaginal entrance and contains one or more small openings. Normally the membrane is pierced at the initial sexual intercourse. However, the hymen is a highly variable structure, absent at birth in some female newborns and complete without any opening in others. It can be destroyed through activities other than intercourse, such as bicycle riding. The condition of the hymen cannot be considered as evidence of virginity or not.

The entrance to the vagina is guarded on either side by both a small and a large fold of skin, called the labia, or lips of the vagina. Since the inner pair is relatively small and the outer pair large, they are termed labia minora and majora. At the upper end of the vagina, just above the urethra from which the urine exits, is the clitoris. When unerected, it is usually about a half-inch in length, and when erected, almost twice as long. In its unerected state, a hood of skin covers the clitoris. The sole function of the clitoris is to react to sexual stimulation, enhancing the female’s pleasure and response.