http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Human Biology
1.68 Female Reproductive System
- State the functions of the female reproductive system.
What causes a girl to develop into a woman?
Adult female characteristics, such as breasts, develop during the teen years. What causes this to happen? The
development of the female traits is caused by the hormones produced by the female reproductive system.
The Female Reproductive System Functions
Most of the male reproductive organs are outside of the body. But female reproductive organs are inside of the body.
The male and female organs also look very different and have different jobs. Two of the functions of the female
reproductive system are similar to the functions of the male reproductive system. The female system:
- Producesgametes, the reproductive cells, which are called eggs in females.
- Secretes a major sex hormone, estrogen.
One of the main roles of the female reproductive system is to produce eggs.Eggs(Figure1.130) are female gametes,
and they are made in the ovaries. After puberty, females release only one egg at a time. Eggs are actually made in
the body before birth, but they do not fully develop until later in life.
Another job of the female system is to secrete estrogen.Estrogenis the main sex hormone in females. Estrogen has
two major roles:
- During the teen years, estrogen causes the reproductive organs to develop. It also causes other female traits to
develop. For example, it causes the breasts to grow. - During adulthood, estrogen is needed for a woman to release eggs.