A Woman's Reproductive System
The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped organ. It is located in a woman’s lower abdomen between the bladder and the rectum. This is where a fertilized egg grows. Attached to either side of the top of the uterus are the fallopian tubes, which extend from the uterus to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes carry the egg from the ovaries to the uterus. Fertilization of an egg usually occurs inside the fallopian tubes.
The narrow, lower portion of the uterus is the cervix, and the dome-shaped upper portion is the fundus. The walls of the uterus are made of two layers of tissue, the endometrium and the myometrium. The vagina leads from the cervix to the external genitals.
Menstruation
The menstrual cycle is the cycle of a woman’s fertility, which occurs approximately every 28 days. In women of childbearing age, the lining of the uterus grows and thickens each month so that it will be ready if pregnancy occurs. If a woman does not become pregnant, the thickened tissue and blood flow out of the body through the vagina. This flow is called menstruation.
Dysmenorrhea
Some women have extreme cramping just before and during their period, called dysmenorrhea. This may be a normal consequence of the powerful uterine muscles pushing out the uterine lining. However, if you have this kind of pain, you should consult a health care provider to evaluate if it may be a symptom of endometriosis or another problem.
What can you do about severe menstrual pain? Several types of medicine are used to treat painful cramps. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen are most effective. If these medicines don’t work, your health care provider may prescribe medication to reduce cramping.
Premenstrual syndrome
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a combination of physical and psychological symptoms that occur in a cyclic pattern, usually during the week before your menstrual period.
Research suggests that as many as 75 percent of menstruating women have some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Many of these symptoms are fairly mild and do not need treatment. If symptoms are severe, however, see your health care provider. Treatments include lifestyle and stress management, dietary restrictions (salt or carbohydrate), calcium supplements, diuretics (water pills), prostaglandin inhibitors (such as Motrin), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy with drugs like Prozac and Zoloft, ovulation inhibitors, vitamins (pyridoxine), lithium and antidepressants.
Symptoms of PMS
Infertility
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a child despite trying for one year. It is a myth that infertility is always a "woman’s problem." Approximately half of the 80 percent of infertility cases with a known cause are because of problems with a man’s sperm. There may be no sperm, called azoospermia, or too few sperm, called oligospermia, or ineffective or deformed sperm. The other half of infertility cases are linked to female problems, most commonly ovulation disorders. Ovulation occurs when an egg is released from the ovary. This usually happens about 13 to 15 days before the start of the menstrual period. Fertility peaks during ovulation, when the egg can be fertilized. The egg probably survives only 24 hours, but sperm can live longer in the vagina, so having intercourse just before ovulation or just afterward improves the chances for conception. Problems with ovulation are usually signaled by irregular menstrual periods or a lack of periods altogether, called amenorrhea. It is also possible that both members of a couple could have problems causing infertility.