THE FEMALE GENITAL SYSTEM
The reproductive anatomy in
the female takes the form of the letter "Y." At the ends of the two
top arms are the ovaries. The arms themselves are formed by the fallopian
tubes, also called oviducts, thin passageways through which eggs released from
the ovaries travel. At the Y's center is the uterus, or womb, the muscular
pear-sized organ which will house and nourish a fertilized egg from earliest
stages through all phases of fetal development, enlarging greatly in the
process.
The cervix is the neck of the uterus, which seals off
the uterine cavity until, in the last hours prior to birth of a baby, it
changes its shape. The cervix leads into the vagina, the receiver of sperm
during intercourse and the exit passage for the baby at birth. Elsewhere in
this book, as the Index indicates, are discussions of menstruation, menopause,
pregnancy, childbirth, and sterility. Hygiene Douches are not essential to
feminine hygiene, although many women have been persuaded to take frequent
douches with commercial preparations because of advertisements implying that no
woman can be clean or dainty without them.
Actually, nature has provided for
the cleansing of the internal passages. If you wish to take an occasional
douche, it should be of the mildest type, imitating nature's own secretions.
You can use a physiological salt solution: add two level teaspoonful of table
salt to a quart of moderately warm water.
Administer the douche under gentle pressure. Whether
a woman, during the menstrual period, should use an internal absorptive pad
(tampon) or an external sanitary pad is entirely a matter of personal
preference.
Either is safe. Each woman can decide for herself, based upon which
she finds more effective and comfortable. An unmarried woman can wear an
internal pad if her hymen happens to be well perforated-and this may be the
case, contrary to some opinion, whether or not she has ever had sexual
relations.
Certain kinds of exercise may cause rupture of the hymen in a
virgin. If the hymen is completely lacking in perforation-a condition called
imperforate hymen-there may be interference with menstruation, and a minor surgical
procedure may be needed to create an opening. Any irregularity in menstruation,
once menstruation has become well established, should be checked with your
physician. Infections Syphilis, gonorrhea, and non-venereal infections can
seriously damage the female reproductive system.
