Anatomy Basics

Anatomy Basics

The basics you should have been taught in middle school!

Basic anatomy is generally the bare minimum of what is taught in health class, and often it’s still lacking! Knowing the basics of how male and female reproductive systems work is an excellent start for learning the fertility awareness method.

Let’s start with the woman’s reproductive system, Women are born with the same amount of eggs they will ever have. The brain signals the ovaries to release an egg (ovulation) and the egg travels from the ovary into the fallopian tube. If the egg is fertilized, the egg will implant in the uterus. If the egg is not fertilized, it dissolves in the uterus. 

Just south of the uterus is the cervix which connects to the vagina. The vagina is one of three openings for the female, including the urethra and the anus. 

Knowing the male reproductive system is also helpful! Let’s start with the sperm. 

Sperm is produced in the testes (aka the testicles) and the epididymis is where sperm are stored and mature. The scrotum encloses the testes and epididymis and is located outside of the body to keep sperm at a livable temperature. 

The vas deferens is the duct that transports sperm to the seminal vesicle which secretes a fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. The prostate also secretes seminal fluid. The ejaculatory duct is where ejaculate (sperm & seminal fluid) and urine are pushed out from and both exit from the urethra (but don’t worry- this can’t happen at the same time!).