Vagina
Uterus
Vagina: The tunnel from the introitus to the uterus.
Urethra Opening: This is the point where urine exits the body from the bladder.
Clitoris: Is located at the top of the vulva as an external female sex organ. It is an extremely sensitive zone that contains more nerve endings than any other body part.
Mons Pubis: The fatty layer of skin that covers the pubic bone. Once a girl has gone through puberty, the mons becomes covered with hair.
Labia Majora: The two outer folds of fatty skin that lay on the exterior of the vulva.
Labia Minora: The labia minora are small folds of skin located between the labia majora.
Anus: Opening which allows feces to exit the body.
Perineum: Area between vaginal opening and anus.
Vulva: External genitals of the female including the mons (the mound over the pubic bone), the labia (lips), the clitoris, the urethra (opening to the bladder) and the perineum (the skin between the vagina and the anus).
Introitus: The opening of the vagina.
Cervix: The opening into the uterus.
Vagina: The tunnel from the introitus to the uterus.
Uterus: A hollow muscle where bleeding comes from with a period and will stretch to carry a baby.
Endometrium: The lining inside the uterus that is shed each month during a period. This is where a baby implants when a woman becomes pregnant.
Myometrium: The muscle fibers of the uterus. These muscles help shed the lining each month and can cause cramps. They also contract during labor to push a baby out.
Fallopian tubes: Two tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus. These are the tubes that deliver the egg to the uterus.
Ovaries: Walnut-sized glands that produce an egg each month. The ovaries are controlled by hormones released in the brain. They also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
The Female Cycle
The female cycle includes your period and ovulation. The cycle begins with the first day of bleeding, this is "day one" of a cycle. Sometimes bleeding can last up to seven days. If you just started your period it can be very irregular; sometimes it can be light with occasional spotting or very heavy bleeding. This is also the time that a new egg is maturing in the ovaries.
Estrogen is the main hormone produced by the ovaries during this time. Fourteen days after bleeding starts, the egg is mature enough to be released. The egg lives for about 24 hours and travels from the ovary into the Fallopian tube. This is where an egg is usually fertilized by a sperm. When the egg is released, the main hormone is then progesterone.
Progesterone thickens the endometrium to prepare for the fertilized egg. The egg then travels to the uterus. If it is fertilized, it can implant into the endometrium. If the egg is not fertilized, it deteriorates and bleeding will start again on about day 28 of a cycle.