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Module 3S1 Reproductive Systems

Lesson 2.3.2S1

2.3.2S1 page 2

Explore

You will complete a Read and a Watch and Listen activity. Choose which activity you would like to complete first, but make sure you complete both activities.

Read

Like males, females must maintain good sexual health. Because both partners’ ability to reproduce depends on the female reproductive system, it is important that both males and females understand the structure and function of the female reproductive system. Read textbook pages 481–484 of the textbook. Summarize what you read by taking notes, completing a chart or table, or recording the information in another way. You must include a labeled diagram of the female reproductive system in your notes.

 

You may answer questions 1–8 on page 485 of the textbook. If you choose to answer these questions, you do not have to answer the question sheet in the next exercise.

Save all of your work from this Read activity in your course folder.

Self-Check
Watch and Listen

Watch the video clip about the Female Reproductive System to further your understanding of the female reproductive system.

  1. What is another name for the egg produced by the female reproductive system?
  2. What are the three functions of the female reproductive system?
  3. What is the name given to the female gonads and what is their function?
  4. Describe the hormonal control of the ovaries.
  5. How is an egg transported from outside the ovary to the uterus?
  6. What is the function of the uterus?  
  7. What is the name of the inner lining of the uterus?
  8. What is the difference in structure between the outer and inner walls of the uterus?
  9. What is the function of the vagina?
  10. What is the term given to the female external genital organs?
  11. What structures does the vulva include?  
  12. What is the name and function of the glands found on either side of the vaginal opening?
  13. What is the size and function of the ovaries?
  14. When does a female start producing egg cells?
  15. Describe the type and number of egg cells that are present at birth in a female baby.
  16. How many oocytes will mature in a female?
  17. What is the name given to the process of forming female gametes?
  18. Describe what is happening to the development of the female gamete before and after the onset of puberty.
  19. How many oocytes mature each month during a woman’s reproductive cycle?
  20. What happens when eggs mature? 
Check your work.

Self-Check Answers

BiologiX 15: The Female Reproductive System: A Creation of Exquisite Synchrony, Question Sheet Key

  1. Ovum and gamete are other names for the egg.
  2. The female reproductive system produces eggs, receives sperm, and provides space and nourishment for the fetus.
  3. Ovaries are the female gonads. They produce the egg cells and the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone.
  4. The ovaries are under the hormonal control of the pituitary gland. At puberty the hypothalamus begins releasing GnRH, which causes the pituitary gland to release two hormones: FSH to stimulate the development of a follicle in the ovary, and LH to promote ovulation and the formation of the corpus luteum.
  5. Fimbriae, through a sweeping action, help the ovum enter the ovarian (Fallopian) tube. In the Fallopian tube, beating cilia and muscle contractions help the ovum move into the uterus.
  6. The uterus provides a location and nourishment for the developing embryo.
  7. The inner lining of the uterus is called the endometrium.
  8. The outer walls of the uterus are muscular and elastic, and are strong enough to support the developing fetus. The inner walls are very glandular and are richly supplied with blood vessels.
  9. The vagina receives the penis and sperm and acts as the birth canal through which the fetus is delivered.
  10. The female external genital organs are referred to as the vulva.
  11. The structures of the vulva include the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, urethra, clitoris, and vaginal opening.
  12. The glands found on either side of the vaginal opening are called the greater vestibular glands. They produce mucus which lubricates the vagina and facilitates intercourse.
  13. The ovaries are almond-shaped and are twice the size of a whole almond. They are the female gonads, the place where the eggs (gametes) are produced.
  14. A female starts producing eggs while still a fetus.
  15. At birth, a female baby has 700 000 immature egg cells, called primary oocytes, inside of her.
  16. Only 400 oocytes will mature in a woman’s lifetime, one for each menstrual cycle during the woman’s reproductive years.
  17. The process of forming female gametes is called oogenesis.
  18. Until puberty the oocytes stay in a state of suspended animation. At the onset of puberty hormones are released that stimulate the continued development of a certain number of oocytes each month.
  19. Normally only one oocyte will mature each month.
  20. Prior to birth a special type of cell division, called meiosis, starts forming oocytes in the female ovaries. Meiosis continues to completion so that the number of chromosomes in the gametes is halved. In humans 46 chromosomes become 23 in each of the sperm and the egg.

 

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