Lo básico del ciclo
Your reproductive anatomy
Revisado: 4 de octubre de 2026
Solo en inglés por ahoraA plain guide to the vulva, vagina, cervix, womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries: where each part is and what it does. Every body looks a little different, and that is normal.
Vulva and vagina are not the same
The vulva is the part you can see on the outside. It includes the outer and inner lips (labia), the clitoris, the opening you pee from and the vaginal opening. The vagina is the stretchy tube inside, which leads from the vaginal opening up to the neck of the womb (cervix). Many people say vagina when they mean vulva. Knowing the right words can make it easier to describe a problem to a doctor or nurse.
The parts of the vulva
At the front, over the pubic bone, is a soft pad of fatty tissue. The outer lips are fleshy and usually covered with pubic hair, and the thinner inner lips sit inside them. Labia vary a lot in size, shape and colour, and it is common for the two sides to look different. The tip of the clitoris is at the top, where the inner lips meet. It is very sensitive, and it is larger than it looks, because much of it lies inside the body. Below it is the opening of the urethra, where pee comes out, then the vaginal opening, and further back the anus.
The vagina
The vagina is a muscular canal about 10 cm long. Its walls have folds that let it stretch. Period blood leaves the body through it, and babies are born through it. A thin piece of tissue called the hymen may partly cover the opening, and hymens vary a lot. Glands near the opening make fluid that keeps the vagina wet during arousal. Healthy bacteria inside keep it acidic, which helps protect it from infection, and normal discharge keeps it clean.
The cervix and womb
The cervix is the narrow lower end of the womb (uterus), at the top of the vagina. It has a tiny opening that lets period blood out and sperm in, and it makes the mucus that changes through your cycle. The womb is a hollow organ with thick muscle walls. When you are not pregnant, it is roughly 7 cm long and 5 cm wide. Its inner lining (endometrium) builds up and sheds each cycle. Its thick muscle wall is what squeezes during period cramps.
Fallopian tubes and ovaries
Two fallopian tubes lead from the womb towards the ovaries. Their ends have finger-like edges, and tiny hairs inside the tubes help carry an egg towards the womb. An egg is often fertilised inside the tube. The two ovaries are each about 2 to 3 cm long, about the size of an almond. They store eggs and make hormones, including oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. At birth, the ovaries hold about 1 to 2 million immature eggs. By puberty, about 400,000 remain.
Every body is different
Bodies vary a lot, and differences in size, shape or colour are usually normal. Some people are born with bodies that do not fit typical ideas of female or male. This is called being intersex. See a doctor or nurse if you notice sores, blisters, a new lump or a change in the skin of your vulva. Also go if you have itching, soreness, pain, a change in your discharge, or bleeding between periods or after sex.
This is general information. Every body is a little different; if something is new, painful or worrying, talk to a doctor or nurse.