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FEMALE SEXUAL ANATOMY: THE FALLOPIAN TUBES, OR OVIDUCTS AND THE OVARIES Begin at the uterus and extend about 10 centimeters (4 inches) laterally. The far ends of the Fallopian tubes are funnel-shaped and terminate in long fingerlike extensions called fimbria, which hover near the ovaries. The inside lining of the Fallopian tubes consists of long, thin folds of tissue covered by hairlike cilia. The Fallopian tubes pick up eggs produced and released by the nearby ovary and then serve as the meeting ground for egg and sperm. The ovaries, or female gonads, are paired structures located on each side of the uterus. About the size of unshelled almonds (about 3 x 2 x 1.5 centimeters, or 1.2 x 0.8 x 0.6 inches), they are held in place by connective tissue that attaches to the broad ligament of the uterus. The ovaries have two separate functions: manufacturing hormones (most notably, estrogen and progesterone) and producing and releasing eggs. Before a baby girl is born, development of future eggs begins in her just-forming ovaries. About halfway through her mother's pregnancy, the girl's ovaries contain 6 or 7 million future eggs, most of which degenerate before birth. About 400,000 immature eggs are present in the newborn girl, and no new eggs are formed after this time. During childhood, continued degeneration reduces the number of eggs still further. The immature eggs are surrounded by a thin capsule of tissue forming a. follicle. When puberty arrives and girls begin to have menstrual cycles each cycle is marked by a process of maturation in which some immature eggs divide twice, splitting their genetic material in half. Through this process, called meiosis, each young egg divides into four cells, only one of which is a mature egg (ovum). A mature egg is about 0.135 millimeters (1/175 inch) in diameter and is surrounded by a zone of jellylike material called the zona pellucida. A human egg is just barely visible, appearing as a speck smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. The other three cells, called polar bodies, have no known function, and eventually degenerate. Although a number of different follicles begin growing in each cycle, usually only one develops to the point where it moves to the surface of the ovary and ruptures, releasing the egg in a process called ovulation. For every follicle that ovulates, about a thousand undergo various degrees of growth and then degenerate. Fewer than 400 follicles are usually involved in ovulation during the female's reproductive years. *22\342\2* Men's Health Erectyle Dysfunction
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Pharmacy Information
BIRTH CONTROL: METHODS OF STERILIZATIONFEMALE Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of both ovaries, which brings the process of ovulation permanently to a halt. Because this procedure means the removal of the source of certain hormones, it has been known to prompt certain undesirable physical changes, such as excessive weight gain, growth of facial hair, and a deepening of the voice. In addition, a woman's sexual desire frequently undergoes a change, and she may experience such discomforts as hot flashes, sweating, nervousness, and even tremor. Hormone therapy will usually correct these adverse conditions. Salpingectomy is a straightforward but major surgical procedure, best performed during a Caesarean section. (The counterpart operation on a man, a vasectomy, is much less complicated.) The Fallopian tubes are cut, tied, and resectioned in order to prevent the two ends from thereafter meeting, thus keeping the sperm and ova from ever contacting one another. Intrauterine coagulation of the uterine tube outlet is a method of sterilization presently used extensively in Japan, which will probably soon be performed in the United States. A specially designed instrument is inserted through the uterus to the intrauterine openings of the Fallopian tubes, where it electrically cauterizes the orifices. This process causes scar tissue to form; the tubular openings are thus blocked, and sperm and ova are prevented from coming together. The effect is permanent, for it would be almost impossible to reopen the tiny Fallopian tubes. Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. The process may include removal of one or both ovaries, and one or both tubes. A hysterectomy is almost never performed for the purpose of sterilization alone, but usually to remedy certain abnormalities such as a fibroid tumor. In current practice, especially in uncomplicated cases, the uterus is often removed via the vagina, thus eliminating abdominal incision and scarring. In an investigation of 35,000 tubal sterilizations, it was found that about one in 200 of the operations failed to prevent subsequent pregnancies.107 Women's sex drive is not likely to be impaired following sterilization; to the contrary, there may well be an increase in drive because of the sense of freedom engendered by removing the fear of pregnancy. *22\300\2* Men's Health Erectile Dysfunction |
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