Internal genital organs of the woman

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

The sexual organs in the woman's abdomen work together optimally to fulfill their common task: the creation of new life, starting from two tiny cells, a male sperm cell and a female egg cell.

vagina

The vagina acts as an entrance tunnel into the female abdomen. The muscular canal is about ten centimeters long and two to three centimeters wide, but can widen significantly if necessary - during sex or the birth of a child. The famous G-spot, a highly sensitive erogenous zone about two centimeters in size, should be on the front wall of the vagina (towards the abdominal wall) about five centimeters behind the vaginal entrance.

uterus

At the end of the vagina it goes through the cervix into the uterus. The shape of the hollow organ resembles an upside-down pear. The mucous membrane of the uterus regularly thickens during a menstrual cycle in order to be ready for the implantation of a fertilized egg cell if necessary. If fertilization does not take place, the wall thickening is repelled and flushed out - menstruation occurs.

Fallopian tubes and ovaries

In the upper area of the uterus, one fallopian tube branches off to the left and right. The thin channels are about four inches long and widen to a fringed funnel at the end. These funnels are placed over one of the two ovaries, which are the size of a plum. Eggs mature in them regularly, usually one per month in either the right or left ovary. Incidentally, the preliminary stages of the egg cells are already created in the female embryo - at the time of birth, girls have around one million immature egg cells. That number shrinks to around 40,000 by puberty, which is still far more than a woman actually needs. Only 400 to 500 of them actually mature in the course of a woman's life, until reproduction is over with the menopause.

When an ovary releases a fertile egg cell on its surface in the middle of the cycle (ovulation), it is caught by the fallopian tube funnel. She then makes her way to the uterus, which takes four to five days. During this journey, sperm have a unique opportunity to do their job: they have 12 to 24 hours to track down the egg cell in the fallopian tube and to fuse with it. If they fail, the egg cell and the thickened uterine lining are flushed out with the menstrual period and the cycle begins again.