Internal And External Structure Of The Female Reproductive System

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Similarly to the male reproductive system, the female reproductive system is an intriguing and complex system that contains internal and external structures. Its external structures consist of the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, and bartholens glands which all make up the vagina. These structures all work together to protect the vagina as well as lubricate it. The vagina is an elastic, muscular canal through which a baby can pass through during childbirth. The system’s internal structures are the vagina, uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. The uterus is responsible for holding and nourishing a fetus while it develops during a nine month term. The ovaries are the structures that make it possible for a woman to reproduce; they produce eggs that can then be fertilized by sperm as well as secrete hormones. The fallopian tubes are narrow tubes that are attached to the upper part of the uterus and serve as tunnels for the ova (egg cells) to travel from the ovaries to the uterus. Conception, the fertilization of an egg by a sperm, normally occurs in the fallopian tubes. (WebMD) Without the ovaries, females would not be able to reproduce due to the fact that there would be no eggs to fertilize. Even if it were possible for a sperm cell to somehow fertilize itself in the uterus, the child would not have any of the mother’s genes.
A female egg is an important element in the reproduction process. They are produced at the time the child is born, meaning that each and every female baby is born with a set amount of eggs that she will release throughout her life. Egg cells are covered in a growth of epithelial tissue called follicle which will eventually release a mature egg. This dominant follicle is then instructed to begin dividin...

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...ty with the surrounding trophoblast being called the amnion. The amnion, also known as the amniotic membrane is a thin membrane on the inner side of the fetal placenta which completely surrounds the embryo and delimits the amniotic cavity, which is filled by amniotic liquid. (Biophysics Unit, IBILI, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra) The amniotic fluid has several functions, some of them being protecting the fetus physically, providing room for fetal movements, and helping regulate fetal body temperature. The placental membrane, located between the chorionic villi and the placenta, separates maternal blood from fetus blood, allowing oxygen and nutrients to diffuse through the villi walls into the placenta. The placenta is the main structure that keeps the fetus alive during its 9 month development process by providing it with oxygen and nutrient exchange.

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