Grade 10, Female Reproductive system

1. This information is important because it will raise your level
of awareness and understanding about your physical body.
It is imperative that you learn the changes you can expect
to experience from menarche to menopause as you live
with your female reproductive system
1
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ANATOMY

2. EXTERNAL GENTILIA
• The vulva refers to those parts
that are outwardly visible
• The vulva includes:
• Mons pubis
• Labia majora
• Labia minora
• Clitoris
• Urethral opening
• Vaginal opening
• Perineum
• Individual differences
in:
• Size
• Coloration
• Shape
• Of external gentalia
are common 2

3. UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
3

4. MONS PUBIS
• The triangular mound of fatty tissue that covers
the pubic bone
• It protects the pubic symphysis
• During adolescence sex hormones trigger the
growth of pubic hair on the mons pubis
• Hair varies in coarseness curliness, amount, color
and thickness
4

5. LABIA MAJORA
• Referred to as the outer lips
• They have a darker pigmentation
• The Labia Majora:
• Protect the introitus and urethral openings
• Are covered with hair and sebaceous glands
• Tend to be smooth, moist, and hairless
• Become flaccid with age and after childbirth
5

6. LABIA MINORA
• Referred to as the “inner lips”
• Made up of erectile, connective tissue that
darkens and swells during sexual arousal
• Located inside the labia majora
• They are more sensitive and responsive to touch
than the labia majora
• The labia minora tightens during intercourse
6

7. CLITORIS
• Highly sensitive organ composed of nerves, blood
vessels, and erectile tissue
• Located under the prepuce
• It is made up of a shaft and a glans
• Becomes engorged with blood during sexual stimulation
• Key to sexual pleasure for most women
• Urethral opening is located directly below clitoris
7

8. VAGINAL OPENING INTROITUS
• Opening may be covered by a thin sheath
called the hymen
• Using the presence of an intact hymen for
determining virginity is erroneous
• Some women are born without hymens
• The hymen can be perforated by many
different events
8

9. PERINEUM
• The muscle and tissue located between the vaginal
opening and anal canal
• It supports and surrounds the lower parts of the
urinary and digestive tracts
• The perinium contains an abundance of nerve
endings that make it sensitive to touch
• An episiotomy is an incision of the perinium used
during childbirth for widening the vaginal opening 9

10. Bartholin’s Glands
(aka: Vestibular Glands)
• The Bartholin's glands are located on each side of
the vaginal opening.
• They secrete fluid that
helps lubricate the vagina.
• Sometimes the ducts of
these glands become
obstructed.
– Fluid backs up into the gland
and causes swelling
(Bartholin's cyst)
10

11. INTERNAL GENITALIA
• The internal genitalia consists of the:
• Vagina
• Cervix
• Uterus
• Fallopian Tubes
• Ovaries
11

12. 12

13. VAGINA
• The vagina connects the cervix to the external genitals
• It is located between the bladder and rectum
• It functions :
• As a passageway for the menstrual flow
• For uterine secretions to pass down through the introitus
• As the birth canal during labor
• With the help of two Bartholin’s glands becomes lubricated
during SI
13

14. CERVIX
• The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina
• The cervical opening to the vagina is small
• This acts as a safety precaution against foreign
bodies entering the uterus
• During childbirth, the cervix dilates to
accommodate the passage of the fetus
• This dilation is a sign that labor has begun
14

15. UTERUS
• Commonly referred to as the womb
• A pear shaped organ about the size of a clenched fist
• It is made up of the endometrium, myometrium and
perimetrium
• Consists of blood-enriched tissue that sloughs off each
month during menstrual cycle
• The powerful muscles of the uterus expand to
accommodate a growing fetus and push it through the
birth canal
15

16. OVIDUCTS
16

17. FALLOPIAN TUBES
• Serve as a pathway for the ovum to the uterus
• Are the site of fertilization by the male sperm
• Often referred to as the oviducts or uterine tubes
• Fertilized egg takes approximately 6 to 10 days to
travel through the fallopian tube to implant in the
uterine lining
17

18. 18

19. OVARIES
• The female gonads or sex glands
• They develop and expel an ovum each month
• A woman is born with approximately 400,000 immature eggs called
follicles
• During a lifetime a woman release @ 400 to 500 fully matured eggs
for fertilization
• The follicles in the ovaries produce the female sex hormones,
progesterone and estrogen
• These hormones prepare the uterus for implantation of the
fertilized egg
19

20. MENSTRUATION
• Menarch, the onset of
menstruation signals the
bodily changes that
transform a female body
• Average age is 12.8
• Amount of bleeding varies
from woman to woman
• Expulsion of blood clots
• Blood color can vary from
bright red to dark maroon
• Usually occurs every 25 to
32 days
• Women can experience
fluid retention, cramping,
mood swings, weight gain,
breast tenderness, diarrhea,
and constipation
20

21. 21
Oogenesis

22. 22
Life History of Oogonia
As a fetus, oogonia divide to produce millions by mitosis but
most degenerate (atresia)
Some develop into primary oocytes & stop in prophase
stage of meiosis I
200,000 to 2 million present at birth
40,000 remain at puberty but only 400 mature during a woman’s life
Each month, hormones cause meiosis I to resume in several
follicles so that meiosis II is reached by ovulation
Penetration by the sperm causes the final stages of meiosis
to occur

23. 23
Ovaries
• Each follicle consists of an immature egg called an
oocyte
• Cells around the oocyte are called:
– Follicle cells (one cell layer thick)
• Stimulated to mature by FSH from the pituitary gland
– Granulosa cells (when more than one layer is present)
– Thecal cells: Cells in the ovarian stroma
• Thecal & granulosa cells work together to produce
estrogen
• A protective layer of glycoprotein forms around the
egg called the zona pellucida

24. 24
Follicle Development
1. Primordial follicle: one layer of squamous-like
follicle cells surrounds the oocyte
2. Primary follicle: two or more layers of cuboidal
granulosa cells enclose the oocyte
3. Secondary follicle: has a fluid-filled space between
granulosa cells that coalesces to form a central
antrum
4. Graafian follicle: secondary follicle at its most
mature stage that bulges from the surface of the
ovary
5. Corpus luteum : ruptured follicle after ovulation

25. Ovary Histology

26. 26
Ovary Histology

27. 27
Zona pellucida
1° Oocyte
(arrested in prophase I)
Granulosa
cells
Thecal cells
Nucleus
Primordial
follicle
Primary Follicle

28. Secondary FollicleFluid-filled
antrum

29. 29
Graafian Follicle
Fluid filled antrum
Granulosa
cells
Oocyte 2°
Corona radiata
Stalk
Zona pellucida

30. UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
30

31. PITUITARY HORMONES
31

32. FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT
32

33. OVULATION
UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
33

34. OVARIAN HORMONES
UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
34

35. SEX HORMONES
• Follicle stimulating hormone FHS-
• Luteinizing hormone LH-signals
ovulation
• Estrogen- produced throughout
the menstrual cycle
• Progesterone-produced during
second half of cycle
• Contributes to thickening of the
endometrium which is shed
during menstrual phase if
fertilization does not take place
• Both FHS and LH are
produced in the
pituitary gland
• Both estrogen and
progesterone are
produced by the
follicles in the ovaries
UNIT 3: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
35

36. DYSMENORRHEA
• Painful menstrual cramps
• Painful menses without evidence of a physical abnormality
• Believed to be normal body response to uterine contractions
• Other symptoms :
• Nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbances, and fainting
• Prostaglandins cause forceful, frequent uterine contractions
called cramps
36

37. ENDOMETRIOSIS
• Common cause of dysmennorrhea, dyspareunia, and
infertility
• Endometrium fragments and lodges in other parts of the
pelvic cavity
• Causes inflammation, bleeding, scarring,and adhesions
• Causes are still being studied
• Treated through hormonal therapy, laparoscopic
surgery, or major surgical management
37