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Female External Reproductive Organs
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In
many cultures, the preservation of a hymen is considered very
important, as it is believed it confirms that a girl is a
virgin. The truth is that, it is impossible to tell if a girl is
a virgin or not by the look of her hymen. Some girls are born
without a hymen, and others have one that is not noticeable, or
one that looks stretched. Some girls may have stretched their
hymens during physical exercise or upon a touch of the finger,
and not only from penetration by a man’s penis. |
These
include the vulva, labia, clitoris, urethra and hymen.
Vulva: This is the area of soft skin between a female’s legs.
It covers the clitoris, opening to the vagina, opening to the urethra
and the labia.
Labia: The labia are two sets of soft folds of skin inside the
vulva. They are the majora and minora, also called outer and inner lips.
The labia cover the inner parts of the vulva and are sensitive to touch.
Clitoris: This is a small organ at the top of the labia that when
touched makes you feel shivery and excited. This is a sexual feeling.
The clitoris grows to the size of a pea during puberty and may or may not be covered by a little flap of skin.
Hymen: The hymen is a thin piece of skin covering the vaginal opening. It only partially covers the vaginal opening.
Female Internal Reproductive Organs
These include the vagina, uterus, cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Vagina: The vagina is the passageway from the uterus to the outside of the female body. It is small, but stretches during sexual intercourse so a penis can fit inside, and expands during birth so a baby can travel through.
Uterus: Usually called the womb, it is normally about the same size and shape of an upside-down pear. It is where a fertilised egg or ovum implants itself and starts developing into a baby Every month, the lining of the uterus thickens to prepare itself for pregnancy, but when the girl does not become pregnant, the egg disintegrates, the lining breaks down and passes out of the vagina together with the blood. This bleeding is called menstruation.
Cervix: The cervix is a small opening located in the lower part of the uterus. It is a canal, which connects the uterus to the top of the vagina. This opening stretches wide when it is time for a baby to be born.
Ovaries: There are two ovaries (one on each side of the uterus), which are about the size of large strawberries. The ovaries contain a girl’s sex cells called eggs or
ova.
Fallopian Tubes: A road (tube) through which an egg travels on its way to the uterus. It is about 12 centimeters long and as thin as a strand of spaghetti. There are two of them. One end of each tube almost touches an ovary and this is connected to the uterus.
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