Ovaries, the female gonads, are located below the digestive system in the abdominal cavity.  Inside each ovary are many follicles which consist of a single egg cell and one or more layers of follicle cells.  Follicle cells protect and nourish the egg cells.  A woman is born with about 400,000 follicles and cannot produce more.

     Ovulation is the process in which an egg is expelled from a follicle.  The egg is expelled directly into the abdominal cavity and is picked up by the fallopian tubes.  Inside the fallopian tubes are cilia which sweep the egg into the uterus.  At the neck of the uterus is the cervix which leads into the .  The vagina has very thin walls, much thinner than those of the uterus.