Human Female Sexual Anatomy & Physiology

Question 1

What is the upper region above the clitoris called?

Answer 1

mons veneris (pubis)

Question 2

What are the outer lips called located on either side of the vaginal opening?

Answer 2

labia majora (outer lips)

Question 3

What are the inner lips called located on either side of the vaginal opening, right beside the outer lips?

Answer 3

labia minora (inner lips)

Question 4

At birth, the vagina opening is covered by a(n) ____.

Answer 4

hymen

Question 5

Which glands are located directed under the vaginal opening and helps with lubrication?

Answer 5

Bartholin’s glands

Question 6

What is the smooth region of skin called that stretches from the vagina to the anus?

Answer 6

perineum

Question 7

What part of the vagina is composed of a small patch of erectile tissue and is a major point of stimulation?

Answer 7

clitoris

Question 8

How can you describe the vagina in terms of it’s ability to secrete substances very easily?

Answer 8

vascularized

Question 9

Some secretions from the vagina will ____ through the walls of the vagina.

Answer 9

sweat

Question 10

Which kind of bacteria produce acid secretions in the vagina?

Answer 10

lactophilic bacteria (pH 4.5)

Question 11

What do acid secretions in the vagina help with?

Answer 11

it helps kill bacteria

Question 12

What can lead to a higher chance of contracting bacterial vaginosis?

Answer 12

• high sugar diet
• excessive douching
• antibiotics
• oral contraceptives

Question 13

What is the part called where the vagina and the uterus meet?

Answer 13

cervix

Question 14

What are the three layers of the uterus called?

Answer 14

1) perimetrium (outer)
2) myometrium (middle)
3) endometrium (inner)

Question 15

What is the middle layer of the uterus composed of?

Answer 15

muscle

Question 16

Why does the inner lining of the uterus change thinkness periodically?

Answer 16

because the inner lining of the uterus sheds at the end of menstration, beginning a new menstral cycle

Question 17

What is the condition called where endometrium grows in other parts of the body, typically the abdomen, and causes pain?

Answer 17

endometriosis

Question 18

What percentage of premenopausal women have endometriosis at some point in their lifetime?

Answer 18

15%

Question 19

What hormone do women with endometriosis typically have a greater amount of in their body?

Answer 19

estrogen

Question 20

What is the technical term for fallopian tubes?

Answer 20

oviducts

Question 21

An ____ is moved into the oviduct during menstruation and is pushed along by the ____.

Answer 21

ovum; fimbrae

Question 22

What structure lines the oviducts and, coupled with muscle movements, moves the ovum down the fallopian tubes?

Answer 22

cilia

Question 23

In which region of the fallopian tubes does fertilization occur the most?

Answer 23

the upper third (near the ovaries)

Question 24

What is the name of the cellular sac which surrounds each egg in the ovaries?

Answer 24

follicle

Question 25

At birth, roughly how many eggs does a woman have in their body?

Answer 25

2 million

Question 26

At sexual maturity, how many eggs does a women have in her body? How many of these are viable?

Answer 26

300,000; 400

Question 27

Which structure in the ovaries first houses the oocyte and also releases estrogen?

Answer 27

primary follicle

Question 28

Which structure in the ovaries houses the secondary oocyte and produces estrogen and progesterone?

Answer 28

secondary follicle

Question 29

In what locations is estrogen found in a women's body (preganant and non-pregnant)?

Answer 29

ovaries and placenta

Question 30

When do the ovaries of a women begin producing estrogen?

Answer 30

when she begins puberty

Question 31

The addition of estrogen to the body during puberty changes what factors for the body?

Answer 31

* growth in breasts * increased blood supply * fat deposits in legs and arms * promotes vascularization

Question 32

What can be used in the replacement of estrogen in women who have gone through menopause, and this helps to prevent oseteoporosis?

Answer 32

Estrogen replacement therapies (ERTs)

Question 33

What is the site for hormone production in the ovaries?

Answer 33

corpus luteum

Question 34

What is the hormone that is only present in pregnant women?

Answer 34

human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

Question 35

hGC is a ____ hormone, therefore it can be picked up in the urine.

Answer 35

protein

Question 36

What does hCG help maintain when it is secreted? What does it stop?

Answer 36

it helps maintain the corpus luteum; periods

Question 37

In women, which hormone is responsible for sex drive, and influence hair and muscle development?

Answer 37

adrenal androgens

Question 38

In women, where are androgens produced?

Answer 38

adrenal cortex

Question 39

Which kind of hormone are adrenal androgens?

Answer 39

reductase hormone

Question 40

What is inhibin?

Answer 40

It is secreted by the corpus luteum and prevents another mentral cycle from taking place.

Question 41

What is relaxin?

Answer 41

It is produced by the placenta and relaxes the pubic symphysis.

Question 42

Which hormone controls the size of the placenta?

Answer 42

human placental lactogen (hPL)

Question 43

hPL is a very important hormone because it is ____ (promotes fat breakdown) and it will antagonize the effects of ____.

Answer 43

lypo-lytic; insulin

Question 44

How does hPL regulate glucose levels in a pregnant woman?

Answer 44

it increases glucose levels for the fetus and depleats glucose levels in the mother

Question 45

Where is GnRH produced and where is it sent?

Answer 45

produced in the **hypothalamus** sent to the **anterior pituitary**

Question 46

What is GnRH transformed in to in the anterior pituitary?

Answer 46

FSH and LH

Question 47

What is an egg that has reached maturity called?

Answer 47

graffian follicle

Question 48

How often does ovulation occur?

Answer 48

every three weeks

Question 49

What happens leading up to ovulation?

Answer 49

* LH levels rise * ovarian membrane ruptures * estrogen levels drop * progesterone is secreted from corpus luteum

Question 50

Which kind of feeback inhibits the release of GnRH during ovulation?

Answer 50

negative feeback

Question 51

Unless the ovum is fertilized, it will ____.

Answer 51

degenerate

Question 52

How long does a normal cycle last?

Answer 52

28 days

Question 53

What happens during menstration?

Answer 53

the uterine lining sheds, preparing for another egg to be released

Question 54

What is considered an irregular cycle?

Answer 54

Any cycle lasting longer than 35 days or shorter than 28 days

Question 55

What is the first menstral cycle a young girls through called?

Answer 55

menarche

Question 56

What is the last period a woman has called?

Answer 56

menopause

Question 57

What is the result of menopause?

Answer 57

* estrogen levels decrease * ovaries begin to degerate * thin skin * risk of osteoporosis

Question 58

What are these the symptoms of?: Headache, abdominal bloating, emotions, anxiety, hostility, paranoia, depression, mood swings, irritability, increased alcohol consumption, binge eating, and crying spells.

Answer 58

pre-menstral syndrome (PMS)

Question 59

What is the syndrome where women experince painful cramping during their period (only due to menstration)?

Answer 59

dysmenorrhea

Question 60

What gland is endometriosis and dysmenorrhea linked to?

Answer 60

prostate gland

Question 61

Women who work out a lot or train very hard can develop ____. This causes emotional stress and eating disorders.

Answer 61

ammenorrhea

Question 62

What glands are affected by ammenorrhea?

Answer 62

thyroid and adrenal glands

Question 63

What is the nipple on breasts surrounded by?

Answer 63

the areola

Question 64

What are the small bumps on the areola called? What do they secrete?

Answer 64

sebacious glands; oils that help with lubrication during breastfeeding

Question 65

How many mammary glands does each breast typically have?

Answer 65

15-25 mammary glands

Question 66

What are the mammary glands separated by?

Answer 66

fatty tissues

Question 67

What hormone(s) stimulate fat deposits to increase in the breasts during puberty?

Answer 67

estrogen and progesterone

Question 68

What hormone(s) and organs stimulate the breasts to grow during pregnancy?

Answer 68

the placenta and prolactin (pituitary gland)

Question 69

Lactation is stimulated by ____. What inhibits this hormone from inducing lactation during pregnancy?

Answer 69

prolactin; estrogen and progesterone

Question 70

For the first 2-3 days following birth, the mammary glands produce ____.

Answer 70

colostrum

Question 71

What hormone helps stimulate the letdown of milk after simulation from suckling of the nipple?

Answer 71

oxytocin

Question 72

Menstration is halted for a few months during breastfeeding, when will menstration begin again?

Answer 72

when prolactin levels begin to drop