Anatomy of the female reproductive organs

The internal reproductive organs in a female include: • Vagina (birth canal). • Uterus (womb). • Fallopian tubes (tubes that go to each ovary). • Ovaries (small glands located either side of the uterus at the ends of the fallopian tubes).

Anatomy of the female reproductive organs, showing the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. During her reproductive years, a woman’s ovaries produce one mature egg every month (from either ovary) which is released and travels down a fallopian tube towards the uterus. If the egg is not fertilised it is shed from the body via the vagina, together with the lining of the uterus, in a process called menstruation. A baby girl is born with ovaries that contain all the eggs she will ever have – approximately 1–2 million – of which only around 500 will be released during her lifetime. The vast majority of eggs gradually die as a woman ages until eventually, any that remain are depleted at menopause.