Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System - Online Tutor, Practice Problems & Exam Prep

The female reproductive system includes key structures such as the ovaries, uterine tubes, uterus, vagina, and external genitalia (vulva). Ovaries produce oocytes, while uterine tubes facilitate fertilization, typically occurring in the ampulla. The uterus, with its three layers—perimetrium, myometrium, and endometrium—nourishes the fertilized ovum. The vagina serves as a passage for childbirth and menstrual flow. The vulva encompasses external structures, including the clitoris and labia, contributing to sexual arousal and protection. Understanding these components is essential for grasping female reproductive anatomy and physiology.

The Ovaries

Let's begin our section on female reproductive anatomy by talking about the ovaries. The ovaries are paired organs, so there are two of them, and they produce and store oocytes, which are immature eggs. The ovaries basically flank the uterus, with one on either side. As we can see in the images, before we go forward, I do want to clarify something. Pretty much all images of the uterus, uterine tubes, and ovaries depict them in a way that it looks like the uterine tube and the ovary are actually connected. However, that is not the case. In real life, the ovary and the uterine tube do not actually touch. The uterine tube and the ovary are both suspended within the peritoneal cavity by a separate series of ligaments, and we will talk about that in a future video. Please keep in mind that even though in many of the images that we have included and are going to be in your textbook, it appears that these structures are connected, they actually are not in real life.

Now, let's get into the anatomy of an ovary. Each ovary contains three major structures. The first is the inner medulla, the innermost part of the ovary, which houses the blood vessels and nerves. Next up is the outer cortex, the outer part of the ovary, which houses follicles as well as the forming gametes or the reproductive cells. In this case, the reproductive cells are going to be those oocytes. Lastly, there are the ovarian follicles. The ovarian follicles are sac-like structures that basically consist of the oocyte, which will be enclosed within layers and layers of cells. We will talk about what kind of cells in our physiology section. If you look at our image here, you can see this section in the middle, comprised mainly of blood vessels. That is our inner medulla. And then you can see the structure here on the outside with all those little eggs and follicles; that is the outer cortex. And then these structures here are the ovarian follicles.

Now, we're going to talk about this much more in our physiology section, but just to give you an idea of what you're looking at here because it can be a little confusing: basically, what happens is that these follicles start off quite small and they get larger and larger as more and more cells build up inside of them, and so they're going to get larger and larger, which is called ripening. So, the follicles here are basically ripening; they're getting larger and larger and eventually, they get so large that they're going to burst open. And that is when ovulation takes place. So, you can see this little egg is now leaving the ovary and entering the peritoneal cavity there. And then eventually, that will heal so you can see that that little opening is getting smaller and smaller and eventually it will heal completely. What's pretty cool is that actually in older women, you can see that the surface of the ovary is going to be covered in little scars and pockmarks from how often this has occurred. Again, we'll talk about that in more detail coming up, but just to give you an idea of what you are looking at there.

Alright. So those are the ovaries, and I'll see you guys in our next video. Bye-bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 1

Okay. So oocytes develop within the blank, and just looking at the answer choices here, I can already eliminate c and d because I know that oocytes develop within the ovary, and the uterus and the cervix are not ovaries, so those are out. And then looking at the answer choices, we are left with the inner medulla, which is going to be that inner portion of the ovary that mainly houses blood vessels and nerves, so there is no oocyte production happening there. So a is out, and we are left with b, the ovarian follicles. Those ovarian follicles are those kind of sac-like structures located on the outer cortex, and these are the locations where oocytes develop. So, our answer is b, the ovarian follicles.

Where are the ovaries located in the female reproductive system?

• A. Inferior to the vagina.
• B. Near the cervix.
• C. Within the uterus.
• D. On either side of the uterus.

The Uterine Tubes

In this video, we're going to be talking about the uterine tubes, also known as the fallopian tubes. So the uterine tubes are the initial or first part of the female duct system and they are going to be the structure that receives the ovulated oocyte and each uterine tube has 3 regions. So the first region is called the infundibulum and the infundibulum is the opening of the uterine tube into the peritoneal cavity. And infundibulum is a term used pretty commonly in anatomy and it's usually used to indicate that something has like a funnel like shape or a funnel like structure. So I always think of how infundibulum has the word fun in it just like funnel does and that kind of helps me remember that.

Now the margin of the infundibulum or the end of it is going to be surrounded by ciliated projections called fimbriae. So if you look down at our image here you can see we have these orange regions those are the infundibulum and then these little projections on the end are the fimbriae. And so remember the ovary and the uterine tube are not actually connected. So what's happening here is the ovary will be, you know, suspended within the peritoneal cavity and the fimbriae will kind of drape over it and during ovulation the fimbriae actually do this little waving motion and that creates a current in the fluid of that peritoneal cavity and so when the oocyte enters that fluid it gets kind of sucked up into the uterine tube through that current. It's pretty cool, right?

So that's how the infundibulum works. Now our middle portion of the tube is the ampulla and the ampulla is also the widest part of the uterine tube. And, again, ampulla is a term used pretty commonly in anatomy usually to indicate an expanded or wide structure. So I always think of how, like, an amp in music is, you know, it's going to make your music louder and bigger and that's kind of what ampulla indicates. It's like the biggest or widest, portion of a structure.

So the ampulla is typically going to be the site of fertilization. So if you look at our image here these portions in blue are the ampulla and you can see we have an egg and some sperm, meeting up there and getting fertilized and then that fertilized egg is traveling down the uterine tube. So we'll label that as our ampulla. And there are several reasons why the ampulla tends to be the site of fertilization. One just comes down to, like, basic timing.

What we often see is that by the time an oocyte has been ovulated and is traveling up the tube this way, sperm have often kind of come up the uterus and begun traveling up the tube from this direction and they just tend to kind of meet in the middle there. What we also see is that the uterine tube, particularly the ampulla, will be having like kind of little micro contractions that help propel the egg and sperm toward each other, again, having them just meet in the middle there. And also the mucosal lining of the ampulla, will have secretions that actually aids in sperm viability and motility so that can kind of aid in that process as well. So again, it does not have to be the site of fertilization but it commonly is. And then our final portion of the uterine tube is the isthmus, and the isthmus is the narrow portion of the uterine tube.

And, again, isthmus is used pretty commonly in anatomy to indicate, like, a narrowing or the most narrow part of a structure, and this will be the part of the tube that actually empties into the superior lateral or top side portion of the uterus. So these sections here, this very narrow section there, is the isthmus. We will go ahead and label that. Alrighty. So those are the uterine tubes and I will see you guys in our next video.

Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 2

Okay, so which structure is typically the site of fertilization? Keep in mind that fertilization is largely just down to timing. Often, what we see is that from the time an oocyte has been ovulated and entered the uterine tube and begun traveling down, sperm have entered the uterus and then entered the uterine tube and begun traveling up, and they just tend to meet in the middle, which would be the ampulla. There are some additional anatomical reasons as to why the ampulla tends to be the site of fertilization though.

The smooth muscle contractions of the uterine tube, particularly within the ampulla, tend to propel the egg and the sperm toward each other. We also know that the ampulla is the widest part of the uterine tube, 'ampulla' meaning an expanded structure, and so the egg and sperm literally just have more wiggle room to do their thing. The mucosal lining of the ampulla actually secretes a substance that can help with sperm viability and motility. For all of these reasons, the ampulla tends to be the site of fertilization, and there you go.

The Uterus

In this video, we're going to be talking about the uterus. So the uterus is a hollow thick-walled muscular organ in the pelvic cavity of females and its purpose is to receive, retain, and nourish a fertilized ovum or a mature egg. So we're just going to move on down to this image and start labeling parts of the uterus, and we're going to begin over here talking about, kind of, the major portions of uterine anatomy. So we're going to begin with the uterine body. And the uterine body is really just the major portion of the uterus.

It's just the vast majority of this organ is going to be referred to as the uterine body. Right below that, we have the isthmus of the uterus. And just like we saw in our last video, isthmus here refers to a narrowing region. So this is a narrow region of the uterus between the body and the cervix, so that is what that refers to here. And then finally, we have the cervix, which is sometimes called, like, the neck of the uterus.

So that is located right here, and it basically projects into the vagina. So this is the structure that separates the uterus from the vagina, basically. So that's kind of the major breakdown, of the anatomical sections of the uterus. Now moving up here, we have the fundus of the uterus. So this is a rounded region or the upper kind of rounded region that is superior to the entrance of the uterine tube.

So the entrance of the uterine tube would be right here, and this region is directly superior or above that and, as we mentioned, the uterus is a hollow organ, so it has a lumen and lumen, like we always see in anatomy, just refers to, like, a cavity. So the lumen is just the hollow or empty cavity within the uterus. Alright. So now kind of scooching down to talk more about the anatomy of the cervix. So first up, we have this opening right here, which opens up basically from the cervix into the uterus, and that is known as the internal os.

And I know that os is kind of a weird word. We usually think of bones when we hear os, so we think of, like, osteology or osteoporosis. But in gynecology, specifically, os refers to an opening. So the internal os is just the opening between the cervix and the uterus. And then I'm gonna just jump down to this one over here because this is the external os.

So the external os is just the opening between the cervix and the vagina. So we have our internal and our external os or the internal and external openings basically of the cervix. And then right in the middle of those, we have the cervical canal which is the actual cavity of the cervix. And the cervical canal is going to create a very thick mucus that basically plugs the external os and that prevents bacteria from entering the uterus during most times of the menstrual cycle. That mucus will thin out quite a bit when ovulation is taking place to allow sperm to enter the uterus, but for the majority of the month, the uterus would be pretty protected from bacteria thanks to that nice thick mucus plugging up the external os.

Alright. So that is the anatomy of the uterus, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 3

Okay, so the narrowing portion of the uterus just above the cervix is the - what. So looking at the answer choices here, remember that isthmus literally means narrowing so anytime we see the word isthmus we're going to be talking about a narrow part of a structure and that is true in the uterus, it's true in the uterine tubes, we have an isthmus in our colon and in our ureters. So isthmus literally just means narrowing portion so our answer there is going to be B. Looking quickly at our other answer choices remember lumen just means like the cavity of something so the lumen of the uterus is like the cavity of the uterus where a fetus would hypothetically grow. The cervical canal is basically the actual canal that makes up the cervix itself. It would not be located above it of course, and then the fundus is kind of that rounded top portion of the uterus. So our answer here is going to be B, the isthmus is the narrowing portion of the uterus. And there you go.

The Uterine Wall

In this video, we're going to be going over the uterine wall. The uterine wall is made up of 3 layers, and if you look at these, you can see how they all end in "metrium," which literally means uterus, so that's why they all have the same suffix. First up, we have the perimetrium, which is the outer layer, and "peri" is a prefix that just means surrounding. This is the layer that surrounds the uterus. If you look at our image, this kind of dark pink layer on the outside there is our perimetrium.

Next up, we have our myometrium, which is the middle layer. I always think of the 'm' in myometrium and the 'm' in middle going together. The myometrium is composed of interlacing bundles of smooth muscle. And, of course, the uterus has to have very strong muscles to aid in the contractions that would push out a fetus. So, if you look here, this kind of muscular middle layer there is our myometrium.

And then finally, we have the endometrium, which is the mucosa that lines the uterine cavity. That's kind of light pink layer right up against the lumen or the cavity of the uterus is the endometrium. The endometrium itself actually has 2 layers. First up is the functional layer, and the functional layer is the layer that undergoes cyclic changes in response to ovarian hormones. A different way to say that is that this is going to be the layer of the endometrium that gets shed during menstruation or during the period. So if you look at our image here, we have a little zoom in on the endometrium. Just to kind of orient you to the image a little bit further, this right here would be the myometrium, and this would be, like, the cavity or the lumen of the uterus there. So this layer here, in this very kind of light pink peach color, is the functional layer and, again, that would get shed during a woman's period.

And right below that is the basal layer, and the basal layer contains stem cells that will form a new functional layer when the old one sheds. So, to give you a better idea of what this would look like throughout the uterine cycle, we have this little graph here, and this graph is basically showing the entire endometrium, so the functional layer and this kind of dark pink basal layer here throughout the uterine cycle. Beginning at day 1, the first day of the period, you've got ovulation happening around day 14, and then the entire thing is ending around day 28. You can see how at day 1 or the beginning of the period, the functional layer is declining as it is getting shed and exiting the body. And then right after the period around days 5-6, that functional layer is basically gone, and we're left with just mostly basal layer. And then throughout the rest of that uterine cycle, that basal layer and the stem cells in that layer are going to build that functional layer back up until it's restored to its original size by the end of that cycle. So, that is how the endometrium would change throughout the entire uterine cycle, and we will go over that more in our physiology section later on.

Alright. So, that is the uterine wall, and I will see you guys in our next video. Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 4

This one asks us the endometrium undergoes monthly changes under the influence of which hormones? So, the shedding of the endometrial lining or the uterine cycle is going to be primarily affected by the primary sex hormones for females, which are estrogen and progesterone, so our answer here is going to be b.

Looking at the other answer choices, we know that oxytocin is not considered a sex hormone, so it's not going to have any major influence on the uterine cycle. And while female bodies do produce testosterone, like we've talked about, and testosterone can affect female reproductive physiology in several different ways. For example, it plays an important role in sexual arousal and follicle development, testosterone does not directly affect the uterine cycle in any way. That's just going to be our primary sex hormones for females, which are estrogen and progesterone. And there you go.

Within the endometrium, the ________ layer is shed during menstruation and the ______ layer contains stem cells.

• A. Functional; myometrium.
• B. Functional; basal.
• C. Perimetrium; myometrium.
• D. Basal; functional.

Vascular Supply of the Uterus

In this video, we're just going to cover some of the key points that you may need to know about the vascular supply to the uterus. So the uterine artery provides blood to the uterus, and you can see the uterine artery over here and where it enters the uterus there. So we're going to label that as our uterine artery. Alright. So that is the main blood supply to the uterus. Now the uterine artery sends branches into the uterine wall, so those branches are the straight arteries which will go to the basal layer of the endometrium as well as the spiral arteries which will go to the functional layer of the endometrium. So if you look at our image here, these are named pretty intuitively so you can see this nice straight artery right there down in the basal layer. That's going to be our straight artery. And then you can see this lovely spiral right there which extends up kind of further into that functional layer that is going to be the spiral artery and these are important because the vasoconstriction of the spiral arteries is what causes the shedding of the functional layer during menstruation or during a woman's period. So basically, right before the period takes place, we're going to see some vasoconstriction of those spiral arteries, which essentially cuts off, oxygen supply and nutrient supply to the functional layer of the endometrium, which basically causes it to die off, which allows it to get shed during menstruation. And we'll talk about that a bit more in the physiology section as well. Alright, so that is our quick little video on the vascular supply of the uterus and I'll see you in the next one. Bye bye.

Support Structures

Alright. So female anatomy is supported by a series of ligaments. And the largest of these is called the broad ligament, and the broad ligament has 3 parts to it. So it has the mesometrium, mesosalpinx, and mesovarium, and luckily for us, it actually has a very intuitive naming convention. So if you look at our image here, all of these terms in blue boxes are part of our broad ligament, and we're going to start over here with our mesometrium. And you guys remember that "metrium" means uterus, so this is the part of the broad ligament that will be supporting the uterus laterally or on the side. You can see that here and here. So it's basically up against the uterine body there. Next up, we have our mesosalpinx, and "salpinx" means tube. So this is the part of the broad ligament that is supporting the uterine tube. You can see that here in this kind of lighter blue color directly underneath those uterine tubes. And then finally, we have our mesovarium, and "ovarian" refers to the ovary. So this is the part of the broad ligament that supports the ovary specifically, and you can see that in this dark blue here and here, those kind of little portions of the ligament. So I want you to think of the broad ligament as kind of like shrink-wrap. That's basically going to come together and cover the uterus, the uterine tubes, and the ovary and kind of hold them all together and also help to anchor and suspend them again laterally to the sides of the abdomen. And one thing I want you to note also, as we go forward, is that for any structure that is supporting the ovary specifically, we have put it in a box with a dotted line around it. So mesovarium, this green box, and this yellow box are all going to be structures that support the ovaries, whereas the boxes with a solid outline are all going to be supporting the uterus and the uterine tube, so just keep that in mind as we go through these.

Alright. So now we're going to move over to this purple box down here, and this is our round ligament. So the round ligament is shown here and here in purple, and this ligament is going to be anchoring the uterus to the anterior body wall or to the front of the body. And you can actually see this very nicely in pregnant people because as the uterus grows and moves upward into the abdominal cavity, that round ligament stretches quite a bit, and pregnant people often experience something called round ligament pain as a result of that stretching. You can kind of think of how the round ligament goes with those round pregnant bellies to help you remember that.

Alright. Moving to this yellow box here, we are looking at the ovarian ligament, which is depicted here and here in yellow. And the ovarian ligament is going to be anchoring the ovary to the uterus. And then finally, we have these ligaments in green here and here, and these are called the suspensory ligament. And the suspensory ligaments are going to be suspending the ovary laterally to the pelvic wall as well and kind of helping to anchor it and hold it in place on either side there.

Alright. So those are the major support structures of the female anatomy, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 5

Okay, so this one is asking us, the mesometrium provides support for which structure? So remember, "metrium" means uterus, right? So the mesometrium is going to be providing support for the uterus. So based on that our answer is going to be c. Remember that support for the uterine tubes would be our mesosalpinx, support for the ovary would be the mesovarium, and the suspension of the ovary would be our suspensory ligament. So our answer here is c, the mesometrium provides support for the uterus and there you go.

Which of the following is NOT one of the major support structures of the ovaries?

• A. The ovarian ligament.
• B. The round ligament.
• C. The suspensory ligament.
• D. The mesovarium.

The Vagina

In this video, we're going to be talking about the vagina. So the vagina is the female organ of copulation, and it is essentially a tube that extends from the cervix all the way to the body exterior. The vagina, of course, will provide a pathway for the delivery of an infant as well as the passage of menstrual flow out of the body. If we look down here, we have, just like we've been looking at, our uterus there. Below the cervix, we have the vagina there. So I will label that as our vagina. Alright.

The vaginal wall consists of 3 layers. First up, we have the adventitia, and this is the fibroelastic outer layer. You may have heard the term "adventitia" before. It usually describes the outermost layer of tubular organs, so it's used pretty commonly in anatomy for that. Our next layer is the muscularis, and this is a smooth muscle middle layer that will contract a little bit to help potentially expel a baby during childbirth. Finally, we have the mucosa, which is an inner layer marked with transverse ridges that can help to stimulate the penis.

So if we look over here, we have a kind of zoom-in of the vaginal wall, and we have this layer of advanced tissue that's our fibroelastic tissue, which can help the vagina expand. This is obviously very useful for the birth of a baby, but also for inserting things into the vagina as well. We have that muscular middle layer, and then we have this inner mucosa here. We'll label that as our mucosa. This mucosa is made up of a stratified squamous epithelium, which allows it to stand up to a lot of friction.

Now, the vagina itself does not have any glands but it is lubricated by the cervical mucus glands dripping down into it, as well as mucosal fluid from the vaginal walls. This lubrication tends to be quite acidic, which helps protect the vagina from infections and bacteria. However, it does become much more alkaline during certain parts of the uterine cycle. So, around the time of ovulation, this lubrication becomes much more alkaline, which allows sperm to pass through the vagina unscathed. It also tends to be alkaline in younger females, which is why teenage girls are often more predisposed to getting sexually transmitted infections compared to older females.

Our last part of the anatomy here is the vaginal fornix, which is basically a recess or an arch-like structure toward the upper end of the vaginal canal surrounding the cervix. "Fornix" is a term used in anatomy to usually refer to some kind of arch-like structure. So, you can see the vaginal fornix here and here. It's like a little dip that comes up toward the cervix there. So, we'll label that as the fornix. Alright. That is the anatomy of the vagina, and I will see you guys in our next one. Bye-bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 6

This one asks us, "The vagina extends from the blank to the blank?" So it might be easier to start over here with this blank because we all know that the vagina begins at the cervix. We know that the fundus is the top portion of the uterus, so the vagina certainly does not start all the way up there. Therefore, we can eliminate option B. And then, the internal os is basically the opening from the uterus into the cervix. That is also way too high up, so we can eliminate option C, and our answer is D. The vagina extends from the cervix to the body's exterior. And there you go!

The uterine wall and the vaginal wall share some superficial similarities. For example, in both structures, the middle layer is composed of:

• A. Smooth muscle.
• B. Fibroelastic tissue.
• C. Mucosa.
• D. Adipose tissue.

External Genitalia

In this video, we're going to be talking about the female external genitalia, which is also called the vulva. A very common misconception is that the external genitalia of females is called the vagina, but this entire region that I am highlighting right here is actually referred to as the vulva. We're just going to start labeling parts of the anatomy here. We're going to start here at the top with the mons pubis. So the mons pubis is just a fatty, kind of rounded area overlying the pubic symphysis, or those pubic bones, and this area is typically going to be covered in pubic hair after puberty has taken place. Then, moving over here, we have the labia majora, and the labia majora are just elongated, fatty folds of skin running posteriorly from the mons pubis down to the perineum. So these are the labia majora, and typically those will be covered in hair after puberty as well. Coming in from the labia majora, we have our labia minora, and the labia minora are just thin folds of skin that are positioned within the labia majora. So, we can see those here and here. And then, within the labia minora, we have our vestibule. So the vestibule is a little recess kind of enclosed within the labia minora, right in here. And this contains the openings of the urethra as well as the vagina, which I will point to in just a moment. So, this entire area within the labia minora is called the vestibule. Now, moving down here, we have these two little glands, and those are called the greater vestibular glands. And those kind of flank the vaginal opening there, and they will release mucus into the vestibule and keep the entire vestibule nice and lubricated. Those glands are not always visible from an external view, but this is the general location that they will be. Alright. So now moving up here, we have the clitoris, and the clitoris is a small, protruding structure that is composed of erectile tissue. You guys may remember that the clitoris is homologous to the male penis, so this is the kind of erect structure within the female genitalia. And then right around that clitoris, we have the prepuce of the clitoris. So you can see that right here, also sometimes called the clitoral hood, and this is a fold of skin that partially surrounds the clitoris. So then moving down here, if we look within our vestibule there, we can see the urethral orifice, so that is just where urine would exit the body, and we have our vaginal orifice there, and that, of course, is where babies can exit the body as well as menstrual flow would be exiting the body. And then around the vaginal orifice, we have the hymen. So the hymen is a very thin membrane, a very elastic tissue that kind of partially covers the vaginal opening. And honestly, the anatomy and elasticity of the hymen vary hugely across females. Some females are born with a hymen that pretty much covers the entire vaginal opening, and some females are born with hymens that have such large openings that you can barely even see them. So there's just a ton of variability in the anatomy of that structure. Alright. So that is our external female genitalia, and I will see you guys in our next one. Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 7

Okay. So this one asks us which external female genital structure consists of fatty tissue covering the pubic symphysis and is often post puberty covered in pubic hair? Remember that the pubic symphysis is the joint between the left and right pelvic bones, and that fatty amount of tissue covering it is the mons pubis. So our answer here is D, and there's a nice hint in the name there - 'pubis' and 'pubic' sound very similar. As a quick reminder, the labia majora are going to be the outer folds of skin within the vulva, and those can be covered in pubic hair but they're not going to be overlying the pubic symphysis. The labia minora are the inner folds of skin, located directly within the labia majora, and the clitoris is a female organ that has a small exposed portion toward the tip of the vulva, but it is not a mound of tissue that covers the pubic symphysis. So our answer here is D, the mons pubis.

The term ‘vestibule’ in the context of female anatomy refers to the area enclosed within the:

• A. Clitoris.
• B. Labia minora.
• C. Mons pubis.
• D. Urethral orifice.

Clitoral Anatomy

In this video, we're going to be going over clitoral anatomy. So the clitoris is richly innervated and because of that, it contributes hugely to female sexual arousal. And as you may recall, the clitoris is homologous to the male penis. So these stem from similar embryonic tissues and although they go on to form very different-looking structures, they're going to have very similar functions as you will see in just a second. And just like we did in our video on the penis, we have put little blue boxes around all the homologous structures. So this right here is a clitoris. If you've never seen one, it can be a little bit odd-looking, but the clitoris is honestly kind of like an iceberg. So it has a little tiny exposed tip and then it is much larger beneath the surface, as you can tell.

So we are going to start here because you've actually already seen this part, in our video on the genitalia, and that is the glans of the clitoris. So that is homologous to the glans of the penis. This is sometimes also called the head of the clitoris and this is just the exposed portion that you can actually see from an external view. And then to kind of help orient you to the rest of the image we've included this little outline of the external genitalia as well. You can see surrounding that glans we have the prepuce of the clitoris homologous to the prepuce of the penis or the foreskin. And then right here, we would have the labia minora approximately. And then within that, of course, is the vestibule. And then within the vestibule, we have the urethral orifice where urine exits the body as well as the vaginal orifice right there. So just to kind of give you an idea of what you're looking at there.

Alright. And then here and here on either side of the clitoris, we have these paired erectile bodies, and those are the corpus cavernosa. And these are homologous to the corpus cavernosa of the penis, so they're going to become engorged with blood and quite rigid during sexual stimulation. And then moving on down here and here we have the crus of the clitoris homologous to the crus of the penis and again same function, so these will kind of help to anchor the clitoris to the pelvic floor muscles to stabilize the entire structure. And then finally here and here we have the bulbs of the vestibule, and those are made up of erectile tissue. They are homologous with the bulb of the penis and they're going to engorge with blood during sexual stimulation. And what that does is it's actually going to kind of push the urethral orifice shut which prevents any bacteria from entering the urethra to help prevent UTIs, and then that engorgement also helps to kind of grip onto the penis or whatever has been inserted into the vagina, which can contribute to both female and male sexual arousal.

And you may have noticed that there's no direct homologue of the corpus spongiosum, and that's just because we don't really need one here. So remember, in the penis the corpus spongiosum is erectile tissue that maintains a kind of spongy texture to help keep the urethra open, but here in the female anatomy, we don't really have the same need. In fact, we want the urethra to close here, so there is not a super clear direct homologue to that structure in the clitoris. And then finally, I will leave you with one fun fact, which is that, to give you a sense of how richly innervated the clitoris is, our best estimate is that the glans of the clitoris, that little exposed portion, has about 10,000 nerve endings in it. And to give you some context, your entire hand has about 18,000. So that gives you a really good sense of how sensitive the clitoris is and why it adds so much to female sexual arousal. Alright. So that is our lesson on clitoral anatomy, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 8

Alright, so male and female reproductive anatomy share some homologous structures. Which of the following structures does not have a direct homologue? So looking at these structures here I can see that the uterus is the only one that is specific to only one sex, that of course being females. So, the uterus does not have a direct homologue. Looking at these other answers, the prepuce of the clitoris is a homologue of the prepuce of the penis or the foreskin, right, so that has a homologous structure. The corpus cavernosum is present in both male and female anatomy, and then the bulb of the vestibule is a homologue of the bulb of the penis so that is also a homologous structure, and the only one here that is not, is going to be the uterus which is specific to female anatomy. And there you go.

Mammary Glands

Alright. So we're going to finish up female anatomy by talking about the mammary glands. Mammary glands are actually modified sweat glands located within the subcutaneous tissue of the breast anterior to the thorax muscles. When I say "modified sweat glands," this modification happens very early in embryonic development for both males and females. In females, mammary glands go on to become more developed due to their high estrogen and progesterone levels. Despite that, mammary glands only actually function in lactating females. They will be producing milk in response to hormonal stimulation, particularly prolactin and oxytocin, which play a big role in milk production.

Each mammary gland contains between 15 to 25 lobes, so there's a good amount of variability across people there. These lobes radiate and open at the nipple. You can see we have a lobe depicted here, enclosed in that dark purple line — this entire thing is a lobe. The lobes are separated by fibrous connective tissue as well as fat, so they are quite distinct because of that very clear separation.

Within the lobes are units called lobules, and we've shown those here as these little purple circles all crammed together within that lobe. The lobules contain glandular alveoli, which are hollow sac-like structures that actually produce the milk during lactation. They are made of a modified epithelium that can synthesize and secrete milk.

We have our lobe, we have our lobules, and the milk has to actually get toward the nipple somehow. It does this by traveling down a duct system that we have drawn here in blue, called the lactiferous ducts. These ducts act as a passage for milk to reach the nipple itself. Additionally, we also have this little orange structure right there that is called a lactiferous sinus. This is essentially a sinus cavity where the milk can accumulate during nursing.

To summarize, each mammary gland will have an average of about 20 lobes. Within those lobes are lobules. Within the lobules are the glandular alveoli, which produce milk. The milk will then travel down the lobe via the lactiferous ducts and collect in the lactiferous sinus right near the nipple until it is ready to be used by the infant. Alright, those are mammary glands. Great job everybody with this entire lesson. It's been a long one to get through female anatomy, but you did fantastic. So I will see you in our next one. Bye-bye.

Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System Example 9

So, this question asks us: In lactating females, where is milk produced? By examining the answer choices and using the names of the anatomical structures to our advantage, we can make an informed decision. Structures labeled as a sinus or a duct are merely pathways through which milk passes, meaning it isn't produced there. Therefore, we can rule out lactiferous ducts because milk is not produced in a duct; it merely passes through. Similarly, this applies to the lactiferous sinus; it's a location where milk can collect but is not created. This leaves us with options A and C. The correct answer is indeed glandular alveoli, where milk is produced. These are located within the lobules. Thus, the lactiferous sinus is simply a pathway for the passage of milk in lactating females. Milk is produced in the glandular alveoli, which are situated in the lobules.

Mammary glands are actually modified ___________.

• A. Lacrimal glands.
• B. Sebaceous glands.
• C. Mucous glands.
• D. Sweat glands.

Here’s what students ask on this topic:

What are the main functions of the ovaries in the female reproductive system?

The ovaries have two primary functions: the production of oocytes (immature eggs) and the secretion of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Each ovary contains an inner medulla, which houses blood vessels and nerves, and an outer cortex, which contains follicles and developing gametes. The ovarian follicles, which enclose the oocytes, grow and mature through a process called ripening. When a follicle is fully mature, it bursts open to release an oocyte in a process known as ovulation. This released oocyte can then be fertilized by sperm in the uterine tube. The hormones produced by the ovaries play crucial roles in regulating the menstrual cycle and maintaining pregnancy.

What are the three layers of the uterine wall and their functions?

The uterine wall consists of three layers: the perimetrium, myometrium, and endometrium. The perimetrium is the outermost layer, providing a protective covering for the uterus. The myometrium is the middle layer composed of smooth muscle, which is essential for the contractions during childbirth. The endometrium is the innermost layer and has two sub-layers: the functional layer and the basal layer. The functional layer undergoes cyclic changes and is shed during menstruation, while the basal layer contains stem cells that regenerate the functional layer after each menstrual cycle. Together, these layers support the uterus's role in receiving, retaining, and nourishing a fertilized ovum.

How do the uterine tubes facilitate fertilization?

The uterine tubes, also known as fallopian tubes, play a crucial role in fertilization. They have three regions: the infundibulum, ampulla, and isthmus. The infundibulum, with its ciliated projections called fimbriae, captures the ovulated oocyte. The ampulla, the widest part of the tube, is typically the site of fertilization. Here, sperm and oocyte meet, aided by micro-contractions and secretions that enhance sperm viability and motility. The isthmus, the narrowest part, connects the tube to the uterus. The coordinated actions of these regions ensure the oocyte is transported and fertilized efficiently, allowing the resulting zygote to travel to the uterus for implantation.

What is the role of the clitoris in female sexual arousal?

The clitoris is a highly innervated structure that plays a significant role in female sexual arousal. It is homologous to the male penis and consists of erectile tissue that becomes engorged with blood during sexual stimulation. The clitoris has a small exposed portion called the glans, which contains about 10,000 nerve endings, making it extremely sensitive. Beneath the surface, the clitoris extends into paired erectile bodies called corpus cavernosa and the crus, which anchor it to the pelvic floor. The bulbs of the vestibule, also part of the clitoris, engorge with blood, enhancing sexual pleasure and helping to grip the penis or other inserted objects, contributing to both female and male sexual arousal.

What are the components of the female external genitalia (vulva) and their functions?

The female external genitalia, collectively known as the vulva, include several structures: the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vestibule, and greater vestibular glands. The mons pubis is a fatty area overlying the pubic bones, typically covered in pubic hair. The labia majora are elongated folds of skin that protect the inner structures. The labia minora are thinner folds within the labia majora, enclosing the vestibule, which contains the openings of the urethra and vagina. The clitoris, a small erectile structure, is crucial for sexual arousal. The greater vestibular glands secrete mucus to lubricate the vestibule, facilitating sexual intercourse and protecting against infections.