The vagina, vulva and clitoris

The vagina is the passage that leads from the cervix to the vulva.
The cervix is at the bottom of the womb (uterus).
The vulva is visible from outside the body.
It forms the skin flaps around the entrance to the vagina.
The outer flaps are called the labia majora and the inner flaps are called the labia minora.
The clitoris sits at the top of the labia minora and is very sensitive to touch.
This gives women a lot of their sexual pleasure.
During sexual arousal there is an increased blood flow to this area, which leads to
swelling and extra sensitivity in the vulva and clitoris.
There is more detailed information about the vagina in the vaginal cancer section of CancerHelp UK.

The cervix, womb and ovaries

These organs are found inside the female body and make up a woman’s reproductive system.
The cervix is another name for the neck of the womb. It is the opening from the vagina to the womb.
There are two ovaries, one on each side of the womb.
The womb (uterus) is the pear shaped, muscular bag that protects a growing baby during pregnancy.

In fertile women the ovaries produce an egg each month.
If the woman’s egg isn’t fertilised by a man’s sperm, the thickened lining of the
womb is shed through the vagina as a monthly period.
Women are fertile between puberty (when the periods start) and menopause
(or change of life, when the periods stop).
Each ovary is connected to the womb by a tube called the fallopian tube.
The ovaries produce the female sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone and a
small amount of male sex hormones (androgens).

There’s more information about cancer of the womb,
cancer of the cervix and cancer of the ovaries on CancerHelp UK.