The female external genital organs are called the vulva. It includes the two folds of skin called the labia, the clitoris, and the vagina. The external genitalia, or the labia, has two sets of rounded folds of skin called the outer (majora or major) and inner lips (minora or minus). The labia cover and protect the vaginal opening. The inner and outer lips come together in the pubic area. Near the top of the lips, inside the folds, is a small cylindrical body called the clitoris. The clitoris is made up of the same type of tissue as the penis and like the penis, the tip is very sensitive. The clitoris has no other function than to help a woman have sexual pleasure. The urethra is a short tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The opening to the urethra is very small, and can be hard to find by touch or sight. It is right above the opening to the vagina. The vagina is where a man puts his penis during sexual intercourse. Also, menstrual blood and babies come out of the vagina. The vagina is an incredibly elastic muscle that can stretch wide enough to allow a baby to pass through.
Every female is born with thousands of eggs in her ovaries. The eggs are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Once a girl reaches puberty, a tiny egg matures in one of her ovaries and then travels down a fallopian tube on its way to the uterus. The release of the egg from the ovary is called ovulation. The uterus prepares for the egg’s arrival by developing a thick and soft lining like a pillow. If the girl or woman has had sex in the last few days before or the day after ovulation, by the time the egg arrives in the fallopian tube, there might be some sperm waiting to unite with the egg. If the arriving egg is united with the sperm (called fertilization) the fertilized egg travels to the uterus, and attaches to the lining of the uterus (called implantation) and a pregnancy begins. If the egg is not fertilized, there is no pregnancy and the uterus does not need the thick lining it has made to protect the egg. It discards the lining, along with some blood, body fluids, and the unfertilized egg. All of this flows through the cervix and then out of the vagina. This flow of blood is called the “period” or menstruation. The blood and tissue usually leave the body slowly over three to seven days.