Female Reproductive System: Organs, Anatomy and Functions

It also helps you read your own body: the menstrual cycle is the work of these organs and their hormones. To see how this shows up in your dates, try the Period Calculator or the Ovulation Calculator.

What Is the Female Reproductive System?

It is the group of organs, glands and hormones that handle puberty, the monthly cycle, conception, pregnancy and birth. Some organs sit outside the body and some sit deep in the pelvis. They work as one team, directed by hormones from the brain and the ovaries.

Doctors usually split the organs into two groups: the external parts, together called the vulva, and the internal parts, which are the vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes.

External Parts (Vulva)

The vulva is everything you can see from the outside. People often say “vagina” when they mean the vulva, but the vagina is an internal canal. Here are the external structures from front to back.

Mons Pubis

A cushion of fatty tissue over the pubic bone. It becomes covered with hair after puberty and helps protect the bone beneath.

Labia Majora

The outer folds of skin, often called the outer lips. They guard the delicate tissue inside and contain oil and sweat glands.

Labia Minora

The thinner inner folds around the vaginal and urethral openings. Their size, shape and colour differ widely from person to person, and all of these variations are normal.

Clitoris

A small, highly sensitive organ where the inner folds meet at the top. It has many nerve endings and plays a central role in sexual response.

Urethral Opening

The small opening just above the vagina where urine leaves the body. It is separate from the vagina.

Vaginal Opening

The entrance to the vagina. Menstrual blood leaves through it, and it is the passage used in sex and childbirth.

Hymen

A thin, flexible tissue that partly surrounds the vaginal opening. Its shape and thickness vary, and its appearance says nothing reliable about sexual history.

Bartholin’s Glands

Two small glands beside the vaginal opening that release a little fluid to keep the area moist and comfortable.

Perineum

The strip of skin and muscle between the vaginal opening and the anus. It supports the pelvic floor and can stretch or tear during birth.

Internal Parts: Vagina, Cervix, Uterus, Ovaries and Tubes

These organs sit inside the pelvis, between the bladder at the front and the rectum at the back.

Vagina

The vagina is a flexible muscular canal that links the vulva to the cervix. It is commonly described as about 7 to 10 cm long at rest, and it stretches during sex and birth. Its natural bacteria keep the environment mildly acidic, which helps protect against infection.

Cervix

The cervix is the narrow, lower end of the uterus that opens into the vagina. It lets menstrual blood out, keeps the uterus closed during pregnancy and widens during labour. Its cervical mucus changes through the month and can help you spot your fertile days.

Uterus

The uterus, or womb, is a hollow, pear-shaped muscular organ about the size of a closed fist. It has three layers: the endometrium (the inner lining that thickens each month), the myometrium (the thick muscle wall that contracts in labour) and the perimetrium (the thin outer covering). A fertilised egg implants in the endometrium and grows there. If no pregnancy occurs, the lining sheds as a period, as explained in why you bleed during a period.

Ovaries

The two ovaries are small, almond-shaped glands on each side of the uterus. They store eggs inside fluid-filled sacs called follicles and make the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Usually one ovary releases one egg per cycle.

Fallopian Tubes

Each fallopian tube is a thin channel that reaches from the uterus toward an ovary. Its finger-like end, the fimbriae, sweeps up the egg after it is released. Fertilisation normally happens inside the tube, and tiny hair-like cilia then move the embryo toward the uterus.

Where the Organs Sit (Anatomical Position)

In most women the uterus tilts forward over the bladder, which is called anteverted. About one in five has a uterus that tilts backward (retroverted), which is a normal variation and usually causes no problems. The ovaries rest near the pelvic wall, and the tubes arch over them to catch the egg.

What Are the Functions of the Reproductive Organs?

• Egg production: the ovaries hold eggs from birth and release one most months after puberty.
• Hormone production: estrogen and progesterone shape puberty, the cycle, pregnancy and bone health.
• Menstruation: the lining of the uterus builds up and sheds on a regular rhythm.
• Sexual function: the vulva, clitoris and vagina take part in arousal and sex.
• Fertilisation and implantation: the tubes and uterus give the egg and sperm a place to meet and the embryo a place to settle.
• Pregnancy and birth: the uterus nourishes and protects the baby, and the cervix and vagina form the birth canal.

What Happens During the Menstrual Cycle?

The cycle runs from the first day of one period to the day before the next. A cycle of 28 days is often used as an example, but healthy cycles range from about 21 to 35 days. Read more about the phases of the menstrual cycle.

Follicular Phase

This phase starts on the first day of bleeding. The brain releases follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which makes several follicles grow in the ovaries. One becomes dominant, and the rising estrogen it makes rebuilds the uterine lining.

Ovulatory Phase

A surge of luteinising hormone (LH) makes the dominant follicle release its egg, usually about 24 to 36 hours after the surge starts. The egg survives for about 12 to 24 hours, while sperm can live up to 5 days. That is why the fertile window lasts about 6 days.

Luteal Phase

The empty follicle becomes the corpus luteum and releases progesterone, which keeps the lining thick and ready for an embryo. If there is no pregnancy, hormone levels fall and a period begins. The luteal phase typically lasts about 10 to 16 days.

Hormones drive each step. For the details, see how your hormones change across the month.

How You Feel at Different Stages of Your Cycle

Every body is different, but many people notice patterns. Use this table as a rough guide, not a rule.

Strong pain is not something to ignore. Read about what is normal with period cramps.

How Many Eggs Does a Woman Have?

A baby girl is born with about 1 to 2 million immature eggs. By puberty roughly 300,000 to 400,000 remain, and only about 400 to 500 will ever be released in a lifetime. The rest are lost gradually through a natural process. Egg numbers and quality fall with age, and the decline speeds up in the late 30s. New eggs are not made after birth.

How Does Reproduction Work?

1. Ovulation: an ovary releases an egg, and the fimbriae guide it into the fallopian tube.
2. Sperm travel: after sex, sperm swim through the cervix and uterus into the tube.
3. Fertilisation: a sperm joins the egg, usually in the outer part of the tube.
4. Travel and division: the fertilised egg divides as it moves toward the uterus over several days.
5. Implantation: about 6 to 12 days after ovulation, the embryo attaches to the endometrium and starts making hCG, the hormone pregnancy tests detect.
6. Pregnancy: the placenta forms, and the uterus grows over about 40 weeks.

You can learn how long after ovulation you can get pregnant, or estimate your due date with the Pregnancy Due Date Calculator.

What Is the Best Age to Have a Baby?

Fertility is highest in the 20s and early 30s. It declines slowly from about age 32 and more quickly after 37, mainly because egg numbers and quality fall. Pregnancy later in life is still common and often healthy, but the chances of conceiving each month are lower, and the risks of miscarriage and chromosome conditions rise. Health, finances and personal readiness matter as much as age, so there is no single right time.

Diseases and Conditions That Affect the Reproductive Organs

• PCOS: a hormone condition that can cause irregular or missed ovulation.
• Endometriosis: tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus and can cause pain and fertility problems.
• Fibroids and polyps: non-cancerous growths that may cause heavy bleeding or pressure.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): an infection of the womb, tubes or ovaries, often from untreated sexually transmitted infections.
• Vaginal infections: yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis can cause itching, discharge or odour.
• Ovarian cysts: fluid-filled sacs on the ovary. Most are harmless and resolve alone.
• Cancers: cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal and vulvar cancers. Regular screening finds cervical changes early.

Changes in your cycle can be an early clue, so it helps to know about irregular cycles.

What Happens if the Reproductive Organs Are Damaged?

The effects depend on which organ is hurt and how. Infection, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or injury can scar the tubes or uterus, lower egg supply, or disturb hormone production. Possible results include blocked tubes, difficulty conceiving, a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, irregular or absent periods and early menopause if the ovaries are lost. Many problems can be treated, and options such as medication, surgery or assisted reproduction may help. Early assessment gives you the most choices.

When to See a Doctor

• Periods that stop for 3 months or more, or cycles shorter than 21 or longer than 35 days
• Very heavy bleeding, or severe pain that stops daily life
• Bleeding between periods, after sex or after menopause
• Unusual discharge, itching, odour or pelvic pain
• No pregnancy after 12 months of trying (6 months if you are 35 or older)
• A lump or swelling in the pelvic area

Ask your clinician how often you need cervical screening, since the schedule depends on your age and history.