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Your reproductive system includes the parts of your body that help you get pregnant.

• Your ovaries: Your ovaries store eggs. You become pregnant when a sperm joins with (fertilizes) a mature egg that was released by the ovary.Your ovaries also make the main female hormones that control your periods. These hormones are called estrogen and progesterone.
• Your fallopian tubes: These are two tubes that carry eggs from your ovaries to your womb.
• Your womb: This is where a fertilized egg grows into a baby. Your womb is connected to your vagina at one end and your fallopian tubes at the other. Another name for the womb is uterus.
• Your endometrium: This is the lining of your womb. If an egg is fertilized, it sticks to the endometrium and starts to grow there. But if there is no fertilized egg or the egg doesn't stick, the upper layer of the endometrium breaks down and your period starts.
• Your cervix: This is the entrance to your womb from your vagina.
• Your vagina: This is the passage from your womb to the outside of your body. During your period, blood leaves your body through your vagina.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.