Structural and Functional Organization of the Female Reproductive System

Question 1

What are the organs of the female reproductive system?

Answer 1

Ovaries (2)

Uterine/Fallopian tubes (2)

Uterus

Vagina

External organs
-Vulva/Pudendum

*The mammary glands are also considered part of this system.

Question 2

The ovaries are paired organs that produce what?

Answer 2

Secondary oocytes
-These are cells that develop into mature ova (eggs) following fertilization.

Hormones
-Progesterone and estrogen (female sex hormones)
-Inhibin
-Relaxin

Question 3

What region of the female reproductive system contains the dense connective tissue that contains ovarian follicles?

Answer 3

The ovarian cortex.

Question 4

What does each ovarian follicle contain, and what do they develop into?

Answer 4

Each ovarian follicle contains an oocyte and a variable number of surrounding cells that nourish the oocyte and secrete estrogens as the follicle grows.

The follicle develops into a mature “Graafian” follicle, which is a large, fluid filled follicle that is preparing to rupture and expel a secondary oocyte.

Question 5

What do the remnants of a ruptured ovulated follicle develop into? What does it produce?

Answer 5

It develops into a corpus luteum (yellow body).

It produces progesterone, estrogen, relaxin and inhibin until it degenerates and turns into fibrous tissue called corpus albicans (white body).

Question 6

Where is the ovarian medulla, and what is contained within it?

Answer 6

It is deep to the ovarian cortex and consists of loose connective tissue that contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves.

Question 7

What transports secondary oocytes from the ovaries to the uterus? Describe their anatomy.

Answer 7

Fallopian tubes.

The open, funnel shaped end of each tube is called the infundibulum. It lies close to the ovary but is open to the pelvic cavity.

It ends in a fringe of fingerlike projections called fimbriae.

From the infundibulum, the tubes extend medially and attach to the upper and outer corners of the uterus.

Question 8

What is the usual site for fertilization of a secondary oocyte by a sperm cell?

How soon may it occur following ovulation?

Answer 8

The Fallopian tubes.

24 hours.

Question 9

How soon does a fertilized ovum (zygote) descend into the uterus?

Answer 9

Within 7 days.

Question 10

What part of the female anatomy is the source of menstrual flow?

Answer 10

The uterus.

Question 11

What are the parts of the uterus?

Answer 11

The dome shaped portion superior to the uterine tubes is called the fundus.

The tapering central portion is the body.

The narrow portion opening to the body is the cervix.

Question 12

What are the 3 layers of the uterus?

Answer 12

Uterine cavity
-Interior of the body of the uterus

Myometrium
-Middle muscular layer, consists of smooth muscle and forms the bulk of the uterine wall
-Contractions of these muscles expel a fetus during childbirth

Endometrium
-Innermost part of the uterine wall, this is a mucous membrane.
-It nourishes a growing fetus or is shed each month during menstruation.

Question 13

What is a recess within the vagina that surrounds the cervix?

Answer 13

The fornix.

A properly placed contraceptive diaphragm is placed here and covers the cervix.

Question 14

What substance does the mucosa of the vagina contain, and what does it do?

Answer 14

Large stores of glycogen, which produce an organic acid. This acid retards microbial growth but can be harmful to sperm.

Question 15

What are the external genitals of the female anatomy?

Answer 15

The vulva or pudendum.

Question 16

What cushions the pubic symphysis?

Answer 16

The mons pubis.

Question 17

What are the folds of skin positioned inferior to the mons pubis?

Answer 17

The labia majora extend down and back from the mons pubis.
-They develop from the same embryonic tissue as the scrotum.
-They contain adipose tissue, sebaceous glands and sudoriferous glands
-They are covered with pubic hair.

The labia minora are positioned medial to the labia majora.
-They do not contain pubic hair or fat.
-They contain a few sudoriferous glands.
-They contain numerous sebaceous glands.

Question 18

Where is the clitoris located? What tissue is it composed of?

Answer 18

Located at the anterior junction of the labia minora.

Erectile tissue and nerves.

Question 19

What is the region between the labia minora, and what is contained within it?

Answer 19

The vestibule.

The hymen (if present), vaginal orifice, external urethral orifice, and on either side of the external urethral orifice are the openings of the ducts of the paraurethral glands.

Question 20

What do the paraurethral glands do? What are they referred to as?

Answer 20

They secrete mucous. The male’s prostate develops from the same tissue as the female’s paraurethral glands.

Skene glands.

Question 21

Where are the greater vestibular glands positioned, what do they do, and what are they referred to as?

Answer 21

Located on either side of the vaginal orifice.

They produce mucus during sexual arousal and intercourse that adds to cervical mucus to provide lubrication.

Referred to as Bartholin glands.

Question 22

What type of glands are mammary glands?

Answer 22

Modified sudoriferous glands.

Question 23

Why do they areola appear rough and darkly pigmented?

Answer 23

Because they contain modified sebaceous glands.

Question 24

What are contained within each mammary gland, and how are they supported on the body?

Answer 24

They contain 15-20 lobes arranged radially and separated by adipose tissue and connective tissue.

The connective tissue are called suspensory ligaments, or “Cooper’s ligaments” which support the breasts.

Each lobe has smaller lobules in which milk secreting glands called alveoli are found.

Question 25

What hormones begin the development of the female breasts at the onset of puberty?

Answer 25

Estrogen and progesterone.

Question 26

What are the functions of the mammary glands?

Answer 26

Synthesis, secretion, and ejection of milk (lactation).

Question 27

What hormones stimulate milk production and milk ejection?

Answer 27

Production is stimulated by prolactin from the anterior pituitary, with the help of progesterone and estrogen.

Ejection is stimulated by oxytocin which is released by the posterior pituitary in response to an infant sucking on a mother’s nipple.

Question 28

What is oogenesis and what are the primary controllers of its main events?

Answer 28

The formation and development of gametes in females.

Hormones secreted by the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary and ovaries control the main events.

Question 29

What is encompassed within the female reproductive cycle?

Answer 29

The ovarian and uterine cycles, the hormonal changes that regulate them, and the related cyclical changes in the breasts and cervix.

Question 30

What hormone controls the ovarian and uterine cycles, and what secretes it? What other hormones play major roles?

Answer 30

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secreted by the hypothalamus.

FSH initiates follicular growth and the secretion of estrogens by the growing follicles.

LH stimulates the further development of ovarian follicles and their full secretion of estrogens.

Question 31

What does LH trigger at mid-cycle of the female reproductive cycle?

Answer 31

Ovulation, and then promotes formation of the corpus luteum.

LH stimulates the corpus luteum to produce estrogens, progesterone, relaxin and inhibin.

Question 32

What are the important functions of estrogens?

Answer 32

They promote the development and maintenance of the female reproductive structures, feminine secondary sex characteristics, and mammary glands.

*The secondary sex characteristics are include the distribution of adipose tissue to different parts of the female anatomy.

Question 33

What is the reason that women under 50 are at a much lower risk of coronary artery disease?

Answer 33

Because estrogens lower blood cholesterol levels.

Question 34

What primarily secretes progesterone, and what does progesterone do?

Answer 34

Secreted by the corpus luteum, acts together with estrogens to prepare and maintain the endometrium for the implantation of a fertilized ovum, and prepares the mammary glands to secrete milk.

Question 35

The corpus luteum secretes relaxin during each monthly cycle. What does it do?

Answer 35

It relaxes the uterus by inhibiting contractions of the myometrium.

*The placenta releases much more relaxin during pregnancy to relax uterine smooth muscle.

*At the end of pregnancy it increases flexibility of the pubic symphysis and helps dilate the cervix.

Question 36

What is the duration range of a female reproductive cycle, and what is the average duration? What are the four phases?

Answer 36

24-36 days, 28 days on average.

Menstrual phase, pre-ovulatory phase, ovulation, post-ovulatory phase.

Question 37

How long does the menstrual phase last?

Answer 37

Roughly the first 5 days of the cycle.

*First day of menstruation marks the first day of a new cycle.

Question 38

Menstrual flow consists of how many mLs of blood and tissue cells from what structure of the uterus? Why does menstrual flow occur?

Answer 38

50-150 mLs from the endometrium.

It occurs because of the declining levels of ovarian hormones (progesterone and estrogen) causes the uterine arteries to constrict, then the cells become oxygen deprived and start to die and parts of the endometrium slough off.

Question 39

What marks the time between the end of menstruation and ovulation, which accounts for the most variation in the cycle? How long does it last?

Answer 39

Pre-ovulatory phase.

6-13 days.

Question 40

By day 6 of the female reproductive cycle (pre-ovulatory phase), what occurs in the female anatomy under the influence of FSH?

Answer 40

A single follicle in one of the two ovaries outgrows the others to become the dominant follicle.

The dominant follicle secretes estrogens and inhibin to decrease FSH secretion, which causes the other follicles to stop growing and die.

This dominant follicle becomes a mature “Graafian” follicle, which continues to enlarge until it becomes ready for ovulation and forms a blister like bulge on the surface of the ovary.

Question 41

What are the menstrual phase and pre-ovulatory phases together referred to as?

Answer 41

Follicular phase.

Question 42

When does ovulation occur in a 28 day cycle? What hormone is secreted to exert a positive feedback effect on LH and GnRH?

Answer 42

Day 14.

High levels of estrogen which stimulate the hypothalamus to release more GnRH, and the anterior pituitary to produce more LH.

This causes a surge of LH which causes the mature “Graafian” follicle to rupture and expel a secondary oocyte.

Question 43

This phase of the female reproductive cycle is the time between ovulation and the onset of the next menstruation period. It is the most constant phase in duration. When does it start, and how long does it last?

Answer 43

Post-ovulatory phase.

Occurs for 14 days from days 15-28.

Question 44

What is known as the luteal phase of the female reproductive cycle?

Answer 44

After ovulation, the mature follicle collapses. The remaining follicular cells are stimulated by LH and enlarge to form the corpus luteum, which secretes progesterone, estrogen, relaxin and inhibin.

Question 45

What occurs during the post-ovulatory phase if an oocyte is not fertilized?

Answer 45

The corpus luteum lasts for 2 weeks, after which its secretory activity decreases and it degenerates into a corpus albicans.

As the levels of progesterone, estrogens and inhibin decrease, release of GnRH, FSH and LH rises due to loss of negative feedback suppression.

Follicular growth resumes and a new ovarian cycle begins.

Question 46

What causes the corpus luteum to persist past its normal 2 week lifespan?

Answer 46

The secondary oocyte being fertilized and dividing.

It is “rescued” from degeneration by the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone produced by the embryo about 8 days after fertilization.

Question 47

What is an indicator of pregnancy?

Answer 47

The presence of HCG in maternal blood or urine.