Menopause - Your reproductive system

Menopause

Your reproductive system

The diagram below shows the parts of your body that are involved in getting pregnant.

Your ovaries contain your eggs. Inside your ovaries are millions of pre-eggs, called follicles. These were formed before you were born, but only some will become full-grown eggs.
Your fallopian tubes carry full-grown eggs from your ovaries to your womb. The tubes are lined with tiny hairs to push the eggs along. If an egg joins a sperm in the tube, this is called fertilization.
Your womb is where the fertilized egg starts growing. The lining of the womb is called the endometrium.
Your cervix is the neck of your womb. Sperm have to pass through it to get to the egg.
Your vagina is the passage leading up to your womb.

To get pregnant you need to release an egg from one of your ovaries. This is called ovulation. This normally happens every month as part of your

menstrual cycle
A woman's periods are part of her menstrual cycle. This is the regular monthly pattern of events that causes an egg to be released from the ovaries so a woman can get pregnant and causes the bleeding that happens if she does not get pregnant.

menstrual cycle.

Your reproductive system.

Your menstrual cycle begins during

puberty
Puberty is the time when boys and girls develop secondary sexual characteristics. For boys, the major changes include pubic hair, a deeper voice, and growth of their penis and testicles. For girls, major changes include pubic hair, breasts and starting to have periods. After puberty, girls are able to become pregnant and boys are able to father children.

puberty. It lasts about 28 days, but it can be shorter or longer. It's controlled by your

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormones. Your hormones tell your ovaries to release an egg and help your body prepare for pregnancy.

This information was last updated on Apr 09, 2009

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