Female Reproductive System (for Teens) (2024)

What Is Reproduction?

Reproduction is the process by which organisms make more organisms like themselves. But even though the reproductive system is essential to keeping a species alive, unlike other body systems, it's not essential to keeping an individual alive.

In the human reproductive process, two kinds of sex cells, orgametes(GAH-meetz), are involved. The male gamete, or sperm, and the female gamete, the egg or ovum, meet in the female's reproductive system. When sperm fertilizes (meets) an egg, this fertilized egg is called azygote(pronounced: ZYE-goat). The zygote goes through a process of becoming an embryo and developing into a fetus.

Themale reproductive systemand the female reproductive system both are needed for reproduction.

Humans, like other organisms, pass some characteristics of themselves to the next generation. We do this through ourgenes, the special carriers of human traits. The genes that parents pass along are what make their children similar to others in their family, but also what make each child unique. These genes come from the male's sperm and the female's egg.

What Is the Female Reproductive System?

The external part of the female reproductive organs is called the vulva, which means covering. Located between the legs, the vulva covers the opening to the vagin* and other reproductive organs inside the body.

The fleshy area located just above the top of the vagin*l opening is called the mons pubis. Two pairs of skin flaps called the labia (which means lips) surround the vagin*l opening. The cl*tor*s, a small sensory organ, is located toward the front of the vulva where the folds of the labia join. Between the labia are openings to the urethra (the canal that carries pee from the bladder to the outside of the body) and vagin*. When girls become sexually mature, the outer labia and the mons pubis are covered by pubic hair.

A female's internal reproductive organs are the vagin*, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.

The vagin* is a muscular, hollow tube that extends from the vagin*l opening to the uterus. Because it has muscular walls, the vagin* can expand and contract. This ability to become wider or narrower allows the vagin* to accommodate something as slim as a tampon and as wide as a baby. The vagin*'s muscular walls are lined with mucous membranes, which keep it protected and moist.

The vagin* serves three purposes:

  1. It's where the penis is inserted during sexual intercourse.
  2. It's the pathway (the birth canal) through which a baby leaves a woman's body during childbirth.
  3. It's the route through which menstrual blood leaves the body during periods.

A very thin piece of skin-like tissue called the hymen partly covers the opening of the vagin*. Hymens are often different from female to female. Most women find their hymens have stretched or torn after their first sexual experience, and the hymen may bleed a little (this usually causes little, if any, pain). Some women who have had sex don't have much of a change in their hymens, though. And some women's hymens have already stretched even before they have sex.

The vagin* connects with the uterus, or womb, at the cervix (which means neck). The cervix has strong, thick walls. The opening of the cervix is very small (no wider than a straw), 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.

The uterus is shaped like an upside-down pear, with a thick lining and muscular walls — in fact, the uterus contains 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. When a woman isn't pregnant, the uterus is only about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) long and 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide.

At the upper corners of the uterus, the fallopian tubes connect the uterus to the ovaries. The ovaries are two oval-shaped organs that lie to the upper right and left of the uterus. They produce, store, and release eggs into the fallopian tubes in the process called ovulation (pronounced: av-yoo-LAY-shun).

There are two fallopian (pronounced: fuh-LO-pee-un) tubes, each attached to a side of the uterus. Within each tube is a tiny passageway no wider than a sewing needle. At the other end of each fallopian tube is a fringed area that looks like a funnel. This fringed area wraps around the ovary but doesn't completely attach to it. When an egg pops out of an ovary, it enters the fallopian tube. Once the egg is in the fallopian tube, tiny hairs in the tube's lining help push it down the narrow passageway toward the uterus.

The ovaries (pronounced: OH-vuh-reez) are also part of the endocrine system because they produce female sex such as estrogen (pronounced: ESS-truh-jun) and progesterone (pronounced: pro-JESS-tuh-rone).

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How Does the Female Reproductive System Work?

The female reproductive system enables a woman to:

  • produce eggs (ova)
  • have sexual intercourse
  • protect and nourish a fertilized egg until it is fully developed
  • give birth

Sexual reproduction couldn't happen without the sexual organs called thegonads. Most people think of the gonads as the male testicl*s. But both sexes have gonads: In females the gonads are the ovaries, which make female gametes (eggs). The male gonads make male gametes (sperm).

When a baby girl is born, her ovaries contain hundreds of thousands of eggs, which remain inactive until puberty begins. At puberty, the pituitary gland (in the central part of the brain) starts making hormones that stimulate the ovaries to make female sex hormones, including estrogen. The secretion of these hormones causes a girl to develop into a sexually mature woman.

Toward the end of puberty, girls begin to release eggs as part of a monthly period called the menstrual cycle. About once a month, during ovulation, an ovary sends a tiny egg into one of the fallopian tubes.

Unless the egg is fertilized by a sperm while in the fallopian tube, the egg leaves the body about 2 weeks later through the uterus — this is menstruation. Blood and tissues from the inner lining of the uterus combine to form the menstrual flow, which in most girls lasts from 3 to 5 days. A girl's first period is called menarche (pronounced: MEH-nar-kee).

It's common for women and girls to have some discomfort in the days leading to their periods. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) includes both physical and emotional symptoms that many girls and women get right before their periods, such as:

  • acne
  • bloating
  • tiredness
  • backaches
  • sore breasts
  • headaches
  • constipation
  • diarrhea
  • food cravings
  • depression
  • irritability
  • trouble concentrating or handling stress

PMS is usually at its worst during the 7 days before a girl's period starts and disappears after it begins.

Many girls also have belly cramps during the first few days of their periods caused by prostaglandins, chemicals in the body that make the smooth muscle in the uterus contract. These involuntary contractions can be dull or sharp and intense.

It can take up to 2 years from menarche for a girl's body to develop a regular menstrual cycle. During that time, her body is adjusting to the hormones puberty brings. On average, the monthly cycle for an adult woman is 28 days, but the range is from 23 to 35 days.

What Happens If an Egg Is Fertilized?

If a female and male have sex within several days of the female's ovulation, fertilization can happen. When the male ejacul*tes (when sem*n leaves the penis), a small amount of sem*n is deposited into the vagin*. Millions of sperm are in this small amount of sem*n, and they "swim" up from the vagin* through the cervix and uterus to meet the egg in the fallopian tube. It takes only one sperm to fertilize the egg.

About 5 to 6 days after the sperm fertilizes the egg, the fertilized egg (pronounced: zygote) has become a multicelled blastocyst. A blastocyst (pronounced: BLAS-tuh-sist) is about the size of a pinhead, and it's a hollow ball of cells with fluid inside. The blastocyst burrows itself into the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium. The hormone estrogen causes the endometrium (pronounced: en-doh-MEE-tree-um) to become thick and rich with blood. Progesterone, another hormone released by the ovaries, keeps the endometrium thick with blood so that the blastocyst can attach to the uterus and absorb nutrients from it. This process is called implantation.

As cells from the blastocyst take in nourishment, another stage of development begins. In the embryonic stage, the inner cells form a flattened circular shape called the embryonic disk, which will develop into a baby. The outer cells become thin membranes that form around the baby. The cells multiply thousands of times and move to new positions to eventually become the embryo (pronounced: EM-bree-oh).

After about 8 weeks, the embryo is about the size of a raspberry, but almost all of its parts — the brain and nerves, the heart and blood, the stomach and intestines, and the muscles and skin — have formed.

During the fetal stage, which lasts from 9 weeks after fertilization to birth, development continues as cells multiply, move, and change. The fetus (pronounced: FEE-tis) floats in amniotic (pronounced: am-nee-AH-tik) fluid inside the amniotic sac. The fetus gets oxygen and nourishment from the mother's blood via the placenta (pronounced: pluh-SEN-tuh). This disk-like structure sticks to the inner lining of the uterus and connects to the fetus via the umbilical (pronounced: um-BIL-ih-kul) cord. The amniotic fluid and membrane cushion the fetus against bumps and jolts to the mother's body.

Pregnancy lasts an average of 280 days — about 9 months. When the baby is ready for birth, its head presses on the cervix, which begins to relax and widen to get ready for the baby to pass into and through the vagin*. Mucus has formed a plug in the cervix, which now loosesn. It and amniotic fluid come out through the vagin* when the mother's water breaks.

When the contractions of labor begin, the walls of the uterus contract as they are stimulated by the pituitary hormone oxytocin (pronounced: ahk-see-TOE-sin). The contractions cause the cervix to widen and begin to open. After several hours of this widening, the cervix is dilated (opened) enough for the baby to come through. The baby is pushed out of the uterus, through the cervix, and along the birth canal. The baby's head usually comes first. The umbilical cord comes out with the baby. It's clamped and cut close to the navel after the baby is delivered.

The last stage of the birth process involves the delivery of the placenta, which at that point is called the afterbirth. After it has separated from the inner lining of the uterus, contractions of the uterus push it out, along with its membranes and fluids.

Female Reproductive System (for Teens) (2024)

FAQs

At what age is the female reproductive system fully developed? ›

Female reproductive organs form before birth but do not mature until puberty. Unlike males, females are not influenced by the male sex hormone testosterone during embryonic development. Girls begin puberty a year or two earlier than boys, at an average age of 10 years, and complete it sooner, in about 4 years.

What are the 5 main female reproductive systems? ›

The female reproductive system includes parts of the female body that are involved in fertility, reproduction and sex. It includes organs such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and vagin*. The menstrual cycle prepares the body for a possible pregnancy.

How to explain the female reproductive system to a child? ›

Female Reproductive System

The two almond-shaped ovaries sit inside the lower belly. When a girl is born her ovaries contain up to 500,000 egg cells. Two tubes, called fallopian tubes, connect the ovaries to the uterus. The uterus is a muscular organ that holds a growing baby.

What is the main function of the female reproductive system during the puberty years? ›

The Female Reproductive System

Ovaries make eggs and hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help girls develop, and make it possible for a woman to have a baby. The ovaries release an egg as part of a woman's cycle. When an egg is released, it's called ovulation.

What gender do babies start off as? ›

During early development the gonads of the fetus remain undifferentiated; that is, all fetal genitalia are the same and are phenotypically female. After approximately 6 to 7 weeks of gestation, however, the expression of a gene on the Y chromosome induces changes that result in the development of the testes.

Do we all start out as females? ›

Geneticists have discovered that all human embryos start life as females, as do all embryos of mammals. About the 2nd month the fetal tests elaborate enough androgens to offset the maternal estrogens and maleness develops.

How many eggs does a woman have at 40? ›

40s. Pregnancy can still occur during your 40s, but many people will be unable to conceive naturally without medical support during this time. By age 40, the number of eggs you have is estimated to be around 5,000 to 10,000.

How is sperm released in females? ›

When the male ejacul*tes (sem*n leaves the penis), sem*n goes into the vagin*. Millions of sperm are in this small amount of sem*n. They "swim" up from the vagin* through the cervix and uterus to meet the egg in a fallopian tube. If sperm fertilize the egg, it's then called a zygote.

What does male sperm do to a woman's body? ›

Lead researcher Prof Tracey Chapman, from UEA's school of Biological Sciences, said: “It's already known that seminal fluid proteins transferred from males during mating cause remarkable effects in females – including altered egg laying, feeding, immunity, sleep patterns, water balance and sexual receptivity.

What is sperm for kids? ›

Lesson Summary. The sperm is the human male's sex cell, which when joined with an egg, has the potential to form a new person. It consists of a head, midpiece, and flagellum. Also, the sperm is a haploid cell, containing 23 chromosomes.

What is female sperm called in humans? ›

Female gamete in humans is called ova/egg. It is produced by the ovaries. The male gamete called sperm fuses with the egg to form a zygote.

How to reproduction a baby? ›

To conceive, you need to have sex in the 5 days before you ovulate, or on the day you ovulate. This is called the 'fertile window'. When the fertile window occurs depends on the length of your menstrual cycle.

At what age do girls get pubic hair? ›

Between the ages of 8 and 13, girls typically experience: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areolas (pigmented area around the nipple) enlarge. Scant pubic hair appears. Height increases by about 2¾ inches per year.

At what age do females stop growing? ›

When they reach puberty, growth increases dramatically again. Girls usually stop growing and reach adult height by 14 or 15 years old, or a couple years after menstruation begins. Learn more about growth in girls, what to expect when it happens, and when you may want to call your child's pediatrician.

What changes in a girl during puberty? ›

Their body shape begins to change as their hips widen and they gain weight and body fat. Expect the first period (menstruation) about 2 years after breast buds appear, usually between the ages of 9 and 16. Most females have a growth spurt about 1–2 years before their period starts.

At what age does the female body fully mature? ›

Puberty leads to sexual dimorphism through the development of the secondary sex characteristics, which further distinguish the sexes. On average, females begin puberty at ages 10–11 and complete puberty at ages 15–17; males generally begin puberty at ages 11–12 and complete puberty at ages 16–17.

When does a woman's body fully develop? ›

Puberty ends in stages: Most girls reach sexual maturity by the age of 14; most boys by the age of 16. Girls' bodies normally stop growing around the age of 16. Boys have usually finished growing by the time they're 19. But it can take up to the early twenties for the last physical changes to happen.

What is the age of the reproductive phase in females? ›

The reproductive phase in a girl is observed from the age of 10 to 15 which is when puberty is attained. At this stage, the eggs in the ovaries begin to mature. A matured ovum is released from one of the ovaries in every 28 – 30 days and is known as ovulation.

At what age do reproductive organs stop growing? ›

Similar to height, this growth happens in spurts. It's rapid for a few weeks, then slows down before growing again. Penis growth continues to the end of puberty. It lasts about five years and typically ends between the ages of 18-21.

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