Female Reproductive

• Vulva external female reproductive structure
• Mons Pubis is a pad of fat that is located at the anterior, over the

  pubic bone (after puberty, it is covered with pubic hair)
• Labia majora are folds of hair-covered skin that begin just posterior

  to the mons pubis.
• Labia minora extend medial to the labia majora.
• Clitoris an organ that originates from the same cells as the glans

  penis and has abundant nerves that make it important in sexual

  sensation and orgasm
• Hymen is a thin membrane that sometimes partially covers the

  entrance to the vagina. An intact hymen cannot be used as an

  indication of “virginity”; even at birth, this is only a partial
• Bartholin’s glands (or greater vestibular glands) secrete mucus,

  which keeps the vestibular area moist.
• Vagina - is a muscular canal (approximately 10 cm long) that serves as the

  entrance to the reproductive tract.
• superior portion of the vagina—called the fornix—meets the

  protruding uterine cervix.
• The walls of the vagina are lined with an

  outer, fibrous adventitia; a middle layer of smooth muscle; and an

  inner mucous membrane with transverse folds called rugae.
• In a healthy woman, the

  most predominant type of vaginal bacteria is from the genus Lactobacillus.
• Lactic acid, in combination with other vaginal secretions,

  makes the vagina a self-cleansing organ.
• ovaries - Are the female gonads.
• The ovaries are located within

  the pelvic cavity, and are supported by the mesovarium, an extension

  of the peritoneum that connects the ovaries to the broad ligament.
• The ovarian cycle is a set of predictable changes in a female’s oocytes

  and ovarian follicles.
• During a woman’s reproductive years, it is a

  roughly 28-day cycle that can be correlated with, but is not the same

  as, the menstrual cycle (discussed shortly).
• The cycle includes two

  interrelated processes: oogenesis (the production of female gametes)

  and folliculogenesis (the growth and development of ovarian

  follicles).
• Gametogenesis in females is called oogenesis. The process begins

  with the ovarian stem cells, or oogonia.
• Oogonia are formed during fetal development, and divide via mitosis,

  much like spermatogonia in the testis.
• The number of primary oocytes present in the ovaries declines from

  one to two million in an infant, to approximately 400,000 at puberty,

  to zero by the end of menopause.
• The menses phase of the menstrual cycle is the phase during

  which the lining is shed; that is, the days that the woman

  menstruates. Although it averages approximately five days, the

  menses phase can last from 2 to 7 days, or longer.
• Proliferative Phase

  It occurs when the granulosa and theca cells of the tertiary

  follicles begin to produce increased amounts of estrogen. These

  rising estrogen concentrations stimulate the endometrial lining to

  rebuild.
• Secretory Phase

  In addition to prompting the LH surge, high estrogen levels

  increase the uterine tube contractions that facilitate the pick-up

  and transfer of the ovulated oocyte.
• Areola is typically circular and can vary in size from 25 to 100 mm in

  diameter.
• Mammary Glands breast milk us produced, it is a modified sweat

  glands
• Alveoli groups of milk-secreting cells in clusters
• Suspensory ligaments Supporting the breasts are multiple bands of

  connective tissue
• Suspensory ligaments Supporting the breasts are multiple bands of

  connective tissue
• Fertilization - occurs when a sperm and an oocyte (egg) combine and their nuclei

  fuse.
• IVF vitro fertilization - is an assisted reproductive

  technology.
• Primary Dysmenorrhea - painful menstruation.
• Secondary Dysmenorrhea - pain caused by a secondary condition such as endometriosis
• complete pelvic examination - performed to rule out possible abnormalities in the pelvic region
• amenorrhea - absence of menstrual flow
• primary amenorrhea - a young woman older than 16 has not begun to menstruate but otherwise shows sexual maturation or has not begun to show development of secondary sex characteristics by the age of 14
• secondary amenorrhea - absence of menstruation for more than 6 months, may be caused by pregnancy, tension, emotional upset, or stress.
• Menorraghia - prolonged or excessive bleeding at the time of regular menstrual flow
• metrorrhagia - (vaginal between regular menstrual periods) probably the most significant form of menstrual dysfunction because it may signal cancer, benign tumors of the uterus, or other gynecologic problems
• Postmenopausal BleedingBleeding 1 year after menses cease at menopause must be investigated, and a malignant condition must be considered until proved otherwise.
• An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus.