HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
The female reproductive system is made up of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus (womb), cervix and vagina. The outer part of the vagina is called the vulva.
Each reproductive organ has a different role.
The ovaries are two organs that contain eggs and make the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. They are controlled by hormones made in the pituitary gland inside the brain. These hormones stimulate the ovaries to release an egg (or eggs) every month. The egg then makes its way down the fallopian tube, into the uterus. This is called ovulation.
The uterus is a hollow pear-shaped organ located between the bladder and the rectum. It is where an unborn pēpi (baby) grows and develops. If the egg is fertilised by sperm, it forms an embryo that attaches to the uterus wall. There, it develops into a fetus and, eventually, a pēpi.
Every month the uterus produces a thick lining on its inner wall, ready to receive a fertilised egg. If the egg is not fertilised, the lining is shed, leaving the body through the vagina. This is called a period.
The vagina is a flexible muscular tube that goes from the vulva to the neck of the womb, which is called the cervix. The cervix connects the vagina and the uterus.
Female outer reproductive organs, or genitals, are together called the vulva.
Next to the vagina are the labia minora (or inner labia or lips). They are there to protect the vagina and to provide lubrication during sex. The labia majora (or outer labia) sit outside these and protect the clitoris and other external genitals.
The clitoris is above the vagina. This is the most sensitive part of the vulva. It helps to provide sexual arousal.
Between the clitoris and the vagina is the urethra, a thin tube from the bladder, which you urinate (wee) from.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed January 2025.
Review key: HIAWB-277828