VB | Female Reproductive System

The female reproductive organs include the?

• Uterus

• Ovaries

• Uterine Tubes

• Vagina

• External Genitalia

What supports the the uterus, ovaries, and vagina?

Ligaments in the pelvic cavity

What do the ovaries produce?

• Oocytes

• Estrogen

• Progesterone

Female Sex Hormones

Where are oocytes produced?

Inside follicles in the ovaries through a process called oogenesis

The ovaries produce and release?

Secondary oocytes

• the female sex cells

During fetal development, stem cells called oogonia go through?

Mitosis

• some of these cells develop into 46 chromosome primary oocytes

• most degenerate

At the onset of female puberty tens of thousands of primary oocytes?

Each form part of a primordial follicle in the ovaries

Between menarche and menopause, each primordial follicle?

Develops into a mature follicle and its primary oocyte completes meiosis 1

Some primary oocytes become?

Secondary Oocytes

• 23-chromosome cells that begin meiosis 2, then pause

Each month, one secondary oocyte is?

Released into the uterine tube

Meiosis 2 is completed when the?

Oocyte is fetilized

The resulting ovum can develop into a?

Zygote

The ovaries release oocytes via the?

Uterine Tubes

Blood is supplied to the Uterus through the?

Uterine Arteries

• which branch from the internal iliac arteries

The ovaries receive blood from the?

Ovarian Arteries

The vagina extends from the cervix to the?

Body Exterior

The female external genitalia or vulva includes the?

Structures surrounding the vaginal outlet

What is the anatomical term of the female external genitalia?

Vulva

Women of childbearing age go through a cycle every 28 days that?

Makes it possible to become pregnant

A follicle in the ovary develops and releases a?

Secondary oocyte

• at the same time that the lining of the uterus thickens to prepare for the possibility of a fertilized egg.

What stimulates the follicle to release the oocyte?

Luteinizing Hormone

Higher levels of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy stimulate?

The thickening of the uterine lining

The 28 day menstrual/uterine cycle begin at and continue until?

• Puberty

• Menopause

What suspends the menstrual/uterine cycle?

Pregnancy

An ovulated oocyte passes from the?

Ovary into the uterine tube

If the oocyte is fertilized, it implants in the?

Uterus

What are the main hormones responsible for female reproductive functions?

• Produces estrogen and progesterone

The follicles in the ovaries

The anterior pituitary gland produces?

• Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)

• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

What does Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) do?

Stimulates the follicles

• initiating the production of estrogen and progesterone

The mammary glands are?

Apocrine exocrine glands

Mammary glands produce and secrete?

Milk when stimulated by certain hormones during lactation

What is the secretion of milk from the mammary glands?

Lactation

What hormones control lactation?

• Prolactin

• Progesterone

• Oxytocin

What generates a hormonal response that ejects milk through the mammary ducts?

Infant Suckling

What nourish and protect the infant?

Nutrients in the breast milk

Which hormone from the anterior pituitary gland stimulates milk production?

Prolactin

Which hormone from the posterior pituitary gland stimulates the release of milk?

Oxytocin

A spike in LH levels triggers?

Ovulation

What are the three layers of the Uterus?

• Perimetrium

• Myometrium

• Endometrium

The endometrium is the layer that?

Changes every months

• Occurs in three stages

  • Menses

  • Proliferative

  • Secretory

What layer of the uterine wall is being described:

• Simple squamous epithelium + areolar CT

• Continuous with the peritoneum

• Protective outer covering

Perimetrium (outer layer)

What layer of the uterine wall is being described:

• Thickest layer

• Smooth muscle arranged in:

  • Inner longitudinal

  • Middle circular

  • Outer longitudinal

• Responsible for labor contractions and cramping

Myometrium (middle layer)

What layer of the uterine wall is being described:

• Two sublayers:

  • Stratum basalis (basal layer)

    • Permanent

    • Regenerates the functional layer after menstruation

    • Does not shed

    Stratum functionalis (functional layer)

    • Lines the uterine cavity

    • Contains glands + spiral arteries

    • Responds to estrogen and progesterone

    • Sheds during menstruation

Endometrium (inner layer)

Which layer of the endometrium is being described?

• Permanent

• Regenerates the functional layer after menstruation

• Does not shed

Stratum basalis (basal layer)

Which layer of the endometrium is being described?

• Lines the uterine cavity

• Contains glands + spiral arteries

• Responds to estrogen and progesterone

• Sheds during menstruation

Stratum functionalis (functional layer)

What are the three stages of the uterine/menstrual cycle?

• Menses

• Proliferative

• Secretory

What uterine/menstrual cycle is being described?

• Days 1-5

• This is when the stratum functionalis breaks down and is shed.

• What triggers it?

  • No implantation → progesterone and estrogen drop

  • Spiral arteries constrict → ischemia → tissue dies

  • Spiral arteries rupture → bleeding

Menses

What uterine/menstrual cycle is being described?

• Days 6-14

• This is the rebuilding phase.

• What hormone drives it?

  • Estrogen from developing ovarian follicles

• What happens?

  • Stratum basalis → rebuilds a new stratum functionalis

  • Glands become longer and more numerous

  • Spiral arteries regrow

  • Endometrium thickens

Proliferative

What uterine/menstrual cycle is being described?

• This is the implantation‑ready phase.

• What hormones drive it?

  • Progesterone + estrogen from the corpus luteum

• What happens?

  • Glands become coiled / corkscrew‑shaped

  • Glands secrete glycogen to nourish a potential embryo

  • Endometrium becomes thick, soft, and nutrient‑rich

• If no implantation:

  • Hormone levels fall

  • Endometrium breaks down → cycle restarts with menstruation

Secretory

Mammary glands are modified apocrine glands whose structure changes dramatically depending on whether the person is?

• Non‑lactating

• Lactating.

What is a a breast that is not producing milk. This is the “default” state outside pregnancy and lactation.

• mostly ducts + fat; alveoli tiny

• Glandular tissue is minimal because milk production is not occurring

Inactive / Non‑Lactating Mammary Gland

What is a breast actively producing milk (typically during late pregnancy and postpartum)?

• enlarged alveoli, cuboidal secretory cells, myoepithelial cells, active milk secretion

Active / Lactating Mammary Gland

What makes the milk in Active / Lactating Mammary Gland?

Alveoli