PELVIC
ORGANS
The
internal organs that make up the female pelvis are the vagina,
uterus (womb), fallopian tubes, and ovaries. (The
vagina is considered one of the internal organs, as only
the opening of the vagina is part of the external genitalia.)
The
uterus in a non-pregnant woman is about the size
of an orange. It has thick muscular walls, which are
needed during pregnancy to push the baby through the vagina
and out into the world. ("Contractions" refer to the
tightenning of the uterus during delivery.) Like the
walls of the vagina, the inside walls of the uterus are
touching, unless pushed apart by a fetus or abnormal growth.
It is these inside walls that grow thick and rich each month,
and then sloughs off with menstruation (the period).
The uterus is conected to the inside end of the vagina through
the cervix. The cervix has the consistency of your
nose, and is the tissue that is checked by a pap smear.
The
ovaries are about the size and shape of unshelled almonds.
They are held in place by ligaments that attach to the public
bone. A layer of fat surrounds and protects these
precious organs. Each ovary contain hundred
of eggs, one of which is release each month during ovulation.
The egg travels down the four inch long fallopian tube
where it is fertilized by a sperm (if a sperm happens
to be present). A fertilized egg will become buried
in the rich tissue of the uterus (endometrium) and develop
into a fetus.
