Human Reproduction: Anatomy and Process Explained

Reproduction

We make new living beings similar to us. Men develop facial hair, deeper voices, more body hair, and bigger muscles. Women develop breasts, thicker lips, higher voices, and less body hair. The uterus is where the baby develops during pregnancy. Fallopian tubes connect the ovaries to the uterus. Ovaries contain the female sex cells, ova. The vagina connects the uterus to the outside of the body. The vulva is the external skin of the female reproductive system, which protects the opening of the vagina. The prostate gland produces a liquid that transports spermatozoa and provides them with nutrients, semen. The urethra is the tube that transports semen to the outside of the body. The penis is the organ that contains the urethra. Sperm products connect the testes to the urethra. Testes produce the male sex cells, spermatozoa.

Fertilization

An ovum and a spermatozoon come together, and a new person is made. 1) Every 28 days, an ovary expels an ovum, which travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. 2) During sexual intercourse, semen enters the woman's vagina, and spermatozoa travel into the fallopian tubes. 3) Only one spermatozoon can enter the ovum, and a new cell is produced, zygote. 4) The zygote divides repeatedly into more cells, forming an embryo, which attaches to the wall of the uterus and continues growing. 5) If the ovum is not fertilized by a spermatozoon, it is expelled out of the woman's body during menstruation.

Pregnancy

Nine months between fertilization and birth. 1) The embryo is surrounded by a sac called amnion, which is filled with a liquid that provides protection. 2) A new organ called placenta forms inside the uterus. The baby gets nutrients and oxygen from the placenta through the umbilical cord. 3) At about three months, all the body parts are formed, and the embryo becomes a fetus that only needs to grow.

Labour

The process through which the baby comes out of the mother's body. 1) The involuntary muscles of the uterus contract. The uterus dilates, so the fetus enters the vagina. The amnion breaks, and the amniotic liquid is expelled. 2) The baby is born. The mother helps push with her abdominal muscles. 3) The placenta is expelled from the uterus through the vagina. *When there are complications during labor, doctors perform a Cesarean section to take the baby directly from the mother's uterus.

Lactation

The period when the mother's breasts produce milk after giving birth. 1) Breast milk has all the nutrients that the baby needs and protects from disease. 2) If there are any problems during lactation, the baby can be fed with formula milk, which is artificial.