A Woman’s Reproductive System 45
The breasts
Breasts come in all shapes and sizes. They start to grow
when a girl is between 10 and 15 years old, when she changes
from a girl to a woman (puberty). They make milk for babies
after pregnancy. When they are touched during sexual relations,
a woman’s body responds by making her vagina wet and ready
for sex.
Inside the breasts:
Glands make the milk.
Ducts carry the milk to the nipple.
Sinuses store the milk until the baby drinks it.
The nipple is where milk comes out
of the breast. Sometimes they stick out.
Sometimes they are flat.
The areola is the dark and bumpy skin around
the nipple. The bumps make an oil that keeps the
nipples clean and soft.
The reproductive parts on the inside
Ovaries: The ovaries
release one egg into a
woman’s fallopian tubes
each month. When a man’s
sperm joins the egg, it can
develop into a baby. A
woman has 2 ovaries, one
on each side of the
womb. Each ovary is
about the size of an
almond or grape.
Cervix: This is the
opening or ‘mouth’
of the womb, where
it opens into the
vagina. Sperm can
enter the womb
through the small
hole in the cervix, but
it protects the womb
from other things, like
a man’s penis. During
childbirth, the cervix
opens to let the baby
come out.
Fallopian tubes: The fallopian tubes connect the womb
with the ovaries. When an ovary releases an egg, it
travels through the fallopian tubes into the womb.
Womb (uterus): The
womb is a hollow muscle.
Monthly bleeding comes
from the womb. The
baby grows here during
pregnancy.
Vagina or birth
canal: The vagina
leads from the vulva
to the womb. The
vagina is made of a
special kind of skin
that stretches easily
during sex and
when giving birth.
The vagina makes
a fluid or wetness
(discharge) that
helps it keep itself
clean and prevents
infection.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012