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The female reproductive system

The female reproductive system (see diagram below) allows a woman to conceive a baby and become pregnant. It includes the following organs:

ovaries
  • 2 the small, walnut-shaped organs in the lower part of abdomen (belly)
  • contain follicles that hold immature eggs (ova), which eventually become mature eggs
  • make hormones including oestrogen and progesterone
fallopian tubes
  • 2 long, thin tubes that extend from the uterus and open near the ovaries
  • carry sperm to the eggs, and eggs from the ovaries to the uterus
uterus (womb)
  • a hollow muscular organ where a fertilised egg (ovum) is nourished to develop into a baby
  • the inner lining of the uterus is known as the endometrium; each month if an egg is not fertilised, some of the lining is shed and flows out of the body (menstruation or monthly period)
  • joined to the vagina by the cervix
cervix (neck of the uterus
  • the lower, cylinder-shaped entrance to the uterus
  • produces moisture to lubricate the vagina
  • holds a developing baby in the uterus during pregnancy and widens during childbirth
vagina (birth canal)
  • a muscular tube or canal that extends from the opening of the uterus (the cervix) to the vulva
  • the passageway through which menstrual blood flows out of the body, penetrative sex (such as intercourse) occurs and a baby is born
vulva
  • the external sex organs; includes the labia

Anatomy of the female reproductive system

Diagram: Female sex organs and reproduction

→ READ MORE: The male reproductive system

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This information was last updated in October 2025. See who reviewed this content.

Dr Sally Reid, Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Adelaide) and Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Sarah Ellis, Clinical Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital and UNSW, NSW; John Booth, Consumer; Hope Finlen, Haematology Nurse Consultant, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Dr Michelle Harrison, Medical Oncologist – Gynaecological cancers, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Melissa Jones, Nurse Consultant, Youth Cancer Service SA/NT, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Violet Kieu, Clinical Director, Melbourne IVF and Fertility Specialist, The Royal Women’s Hospital, VIC; Prof Declan Murphy, Consultant Urologist, Director – Genitourinary Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The University of Melbourne, VIC; Stephen Page, Family and Fertility Lawyer, and Legal Practice Director, Page Provan, QLD; Ann Retzlaff, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; A/Prof Kate Stern AO, Fertility specialist, Gynaecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist, Royal Women’s Hospital and Melbourne IVF, VIC; Georgia Webster, Consumer.

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