GOINDIS NATUROPATHY TRUST(INDIA)
Charity Registration No.845/4 dated 03.09.2003
THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
SANTOKH SINGH PARMAR
FOUNDER TRUSTEES:
Satyendra Singh Goindi, MSc, LLB, ND
Gurkirpal Kaur Goindi, BA, BEd, DPE, ND
Santokh Singh Parmar, B Arch, Dip TP, Dip LA, MRTPI, AITP, AIIA
Devinder Singh Saroya, PCS
Gurmukh Singh Girn, MSc, MCRP, AITP
11 THE reproductive system
What is Female Reproductive System ?
11.1 A woman’s reproductive organs are more complex than those of a man because she plays a somewhat larger role than he does in the reproductive process. Reproduction in human beings involves two partners – one male and the other female. The female partner carries the young one in her body till the baby is fully formed and ready to come into the world. The process by which the baby is brought out from the body is called giving birth.
11.2 Ovaries – The primary reproductive organs – the ovaries, lie on each side of the pelvis. The two almond-shaped ovaries are about 3.5 centimetres long. They have two functions: to secrete female hormones and to produce eggs. The ovaries are covered by a layer. Internally, the ovary is distinguishable into two parts – an outer, broader zone called the cortex and an inner, narrower zone called the medulla. The cortex is filled with spherical groups of cells. These cells perform many important functions in the ovaries. They include the secretion of hormones, which play a vital role in the development of the female sexual characteristics.
11.3 Fallopian Tubes – Close to each ovary is an expanded funnel-shaped tube, down which the ova or eggs pass, when released from the ovary. This tube is called the Fallopian tube. The Fallopian tubes have finger-like projections which envelop the ovaries. They are also known as oviducts. Both oviducts are narrow tubes that open into the uterus. The oviducts have hair-like structure in their walls that sweep the ovum towards the uterus. The ovum is fertilised inside the Fallopian tube. So, the Fallopian tube is an important part of the female reproductive system. Fertilisation of the egg takes place in the Fallopian tube before it grows in another part called the uterus. If, in some cases, the Fallopian tubes are blocked, the fertilisation of the egg may not be possible at all.
11.4 The Uterus or Womb – The uterus is a large, pear-shaped, muscular, thick-walled organ, measuring about 5 centimetres by 10 centimetres and connected on either side to the Fallopian tubes. The body of the uterus is made of three coats. The innermost coat contains specially designed blood vessels and some glands. The middle coat has muscle fibres, and the outermost coat is thick and muscular. The outer layer or coat increases in weight during pregnancy. During labour it exerts a tremendous force. A healthy woman can double the total force by voluntarily contracting her abdominal muscles. Within a few weeks of birth, the uterus reverts to more or less its original size. The innermost layer forms part of the placenta during pregnancy.
What is Male Reproductive System?
11.5 A mass of coils and tubes makes up the internal genitals of a full-grown male.
11.6 Testes – The male reproductive organs, which are concerned with the formation of the male gametes or cells are the two egg-shaped glandular testes. The testes are suspended in thin pouches of skin and connective tissue, and located outside the main body cavity behind the penis. These testes exist at a temperature lower than that of the rest of the body, which is favourable for sperm production. In more than three quarters of men the right one is above the left. The testes are very sensitive and even slight pressure can cause considerable pain. If a man jumps into a cold pool of water, his testes will draw themselves up towards the crotch. Conversely, if he walks from the cold into a sauna, they lower themselves.
11.7 Epididymis – The epididymis is a storage tank consisting of 6 metre of coiled tube. It is in this storage tank that the maturation of sperms is completed. The epididymis lies alongside the testes in the scrotal sac. It stores the sperms, filters them and makes them mobile by the time they reach its posterior part. The epididymis serves as a passage for the transport of sperms. This is an important part of the male reproductive system since here the sperms are made mobile to travel around the system and finally take part in fertilisation.
11.8 Vas Deferens and Seminal Vesicles – After coming out of the testis, the epididymis becomes straight, increases in diameter and becomes a muscular tube, called the sperm duct or vas deferens. Some short tubes called seminal vesicles open into the vas deferens, enter into the abdominal cavity through a wider tube, and merge with the duct leading from the seminal vesicle gland. The seminal vesicles are tightly coiled short tubes that also store sperms. They produce fluid sugars for nourishing the sperms. The prostate gland, which surrounds part of the urethra also contributes acids, trace elements and enzymes to the sperms to form a thick milky fluid known as semen. The penis is the external male genital organ. It is a common passage for both urine and semen.
How does a New Life Begin?
11.9 The ovaries release one egg about every 28 days in a process that is called ovulation. The Fallopian tubes carry the egg to the uterus, which is located between the ovaries. The menstrual cycle is the process that prepares a woman for pregnancy. During the menstrual cycle, changes take place in the uterus. The soft inner lining of the uterus thickens, reaching its full thickness shortly after ovulation. If the egg is fertilised, it attaches itself to the lining of the uterus and starts to develop. If the egg is not fertilised by a sperm within about 21 hours, it dies. The unfertilised egg together with the inner lining of the uterus is then slowly discharged through the vagina in a process called menstruation.
Fertilisation
11.10 For fertilisation to take place in a woman’s body, it is essential that the female egg cell should fuse with the male cell. The female egg starts out very small, about the size of a little dot. The egg is fertilised in the Fallopian tube of the female. Once the egg fuses with the male cell, it undergoes various cell divisions, in which a single cell divides and becomes a number of small cells, to give rise to a zygote. When the egg and the male cell unite, some of the characteristics of the male and some of the female are preserved in the zygote.
11.11 Once the egg has been fertilised in the Fallopian tube, the cell division starts, and the developing embryo moves down the tube. After about three days, it reaches the uterus and attaches itself to the uterine wall. The placenta and other tissues vital to the life of the embryo, form at the attachment point. The placenta is a long tube which connects the mother and the embryo. And through this tube the embryo draws nourishment from the mother while it is developing in the mother’s womb. Unborn babies do not eat food the way we do. They get their food from their mother’s blood. When the mother eats food, much of the nourishment goes into her blood and then to the placenta. The placenta is where the baby’s blood and the mother’s blood meet. It is inside the womb next to the baby. The baby is joined to the placenta by a special thick tube called the umbilical cord. After the baby is born – that is, after it comes out of the mother’s body – the umbilical cord which joins the baby to the mother is cut. Later, the part of the cord left at the baby’s end, shrivels up to form the navel or the belly button. Through the cord the baby gets all the food it needs to go on growing to keep healthy. If the father or mother has some disease, it can also be transferred to the child and the baby born may be malformed. To avoid this mishap, it is important that the concerned person should get his or her disease treated.
11.12 Fertilisation, which takes place inside the female’s body, is a natural process. The mother should be healthy enough to be able to carry the baby for nine months in her womb. The baby also draws its nourishment from the mother. So in order to have a healthy baby, the mother has to eat well and be healthy herself. The baby will have features of both its mother and its father. Sometimes, the baby may be a replica of its mother or father or, for that matter, any other member of its family.
Fertilisation to Baby
11.13 During the first week after fertilisation, the fertilised egg first becomes a solid ball of cells. It later becomes hollow. During the second week it develops further and attaches itself to the lining of the uterus. Then the placenta is formed, through which the foetus draws nourishment from the mother’s blood.
11.14 The umbilical cord serves as the ‘lifeline’ between the embryo and the mother. Food, water and oxygen from the mother are absorbed by the placenta and flow through blood vessels in the umbilical cord to the embryo’s blood. The embryo’s waste material is carried through the cord to the placenta, absorbed by the mother’s body, and then expelled by the mother’s body.
11.15 During the fourth week, the embryo develops and forms various tissues and organs such as the brain, the nervous tissue, the skin, the hair, the nails and parts of the eyes and ears. The muscles, the heart, the bones, the tendons, the kidneys, the glands, the circulatory system, the reproductory organs, the lining of the digestive and respiratory system, the certain other internal organs develop at this stage.
11.16 At the end of a month the tube-shaped embryo is 6 millimetres long. The region of the head is bent and marked with ridges and grooves like the gill slits of a fish. These later become part of the face and neck. Buds on the sides of the embryo later develop into arms and legs. Other blocks of tissue along the embryo’s back develop into the various bones and muscles.
11.17 During the organisation of an embryo, the cells divide repeatedly and finally organise themselves to perform specific functions. For example, some cells become muscle cells rather than nerve cells.
11.18 During the sixth month, the baby moves and kicks. The mother can feel the movement of the baby and also the constant growth of the baby.
The Birth
11.19 For nine months the baby grows and changes shape. The mother feels a pushing inside her when the baby has to be born. This pushing takes the form of a series of contractions. It comes at regular intervals and is known as labour. This is the signal for the baby to be born. The muscles of the mother’s uterus are pushing the baby out into the world. The pushing gradually gets stronger and the mother too applies pressure so that the baby comes out easily. Normally the head of the baby comes out first and then, slowly, the rest of the body. At times the feet come out first. Once the baby breathes the air outside, it cries, as this is hard work for it. Then the doctor cuts the cord that joins the baby to its mother because now the baby does not need it any more, as it can breathe, eat, drink and expel waste by itself. The baby is thoroughly checked by the doctor. The baby’s weight is taken and a record is maintained, since this can tell the parents if the baby is growing well.
An Infant
11.20 When a baby is hungry, it cannot tell anyone about this. It may like to be cuddled, but cannot express it. It may like to walk and talk, but its bones and muscles are very soft. The only way it can express itself is by crying. For the first few months the baby can only cry, drink and sleep. As the baby develops, it acquires skills such as crawling, sitting, standing, walking and talking. The baby starts learning many things about itself and about the world around. For example, the baby recognises its mother and also responds to its name. The baby grows because it is fed regularly with mothers milk .
The Baby and the Adult
11.21 Babies are softer because their bones have not hardened. When babies are born they have few hard bones. Their skeletons are mostly made of a strong, slightly pliable material called cartilage. Later the bones grow to become bigger and harder. A child’s bones are bigger and stronger than a baby’s, but definitely not as hard as an adult’s bones. They will keep growing and getting harder until the child is about twenty-one. The bones should grow in a healthy step wise manner. Generally, if the wrist bones are growing right, then all the bones in the body will grow well. A child cannot do jobs such as lifting weights, which an adult can easily do. The mental capability of the child is limited as compared to an adult.
What makes You Grow?
11.22 Food, water and fresh air make you grow. You need exercises like walking, running, etc to keep your muscles strong. You also need rest to grow. That is why babies sleep so much – because they are growing very fast. Your body is made up of tiny cells. You grow because these cells grow and also because new cells are added on. All foods contain different things like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. You need the right quantity of each of these to be healthy and keep growing.
Resemblance
11.23 You may sometimes wonder whom you look like. You will probably look a little like both your father and your mother. And maybe like your grandparents or your aunt or uncle too. In the egg cell and the sperm cell there are tiny parts called genes. You get your genes from both your parents. All genes have different jobs to do – some decide your hair colour, some your eye colour, some decide your height. These genes carry all the information needed to form every part of your body. And since you have a mixture of genes from both your parents, you will look a little like both of them.
Disorders of the Reproductive System
11.24 Infertility – When a woman is not able to conceive or bear a child, or a man is not able to father children, then he/she is said to be infertile. Infertility may be temporary and treatable or it may be permanent. Infertility may result from abnormal developments, abnormal functions, or a disease of the reproductive system. In the woman, the main cause is the blockage of the Fallopian tube. Blocked tubes prevent eggs from entering the uterus, where a fertlised egg develops into a foetus. Such blockages result from infectious diseases.
11.25 Disorders of the uterus – Abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), growth of fibroids or uterine tumours are some common disorders of the uterus. The most common causes of abnormal uterine bleeding are hormonal imbalances, miscarriage, infections of the uterus, blood clotting and cancer. PID develops as a result of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, or an infection following an abortion or childbirth. The exact cause for fibroids is not known, but fibroids often enlarge under the influence of the female hormone estrogen.
11.26 Enlargement of Prostate Gland – The prostate gland is an organ in the male reproductive system, weighing about 20 grams and about the size of a chestnut. Increasing age is the predominant cause for this disorder. The enlargement of the prostate is common among men over 50 years of age. An enlarged prostate can press the urethra. Such pressure can make the passing of urine from the body difficult and may result in bladder infection and kidney damage.
11.27 Endometriosis – It is a disease of the female reproductive system in which clusters of cells from the lining of the uterus invade other areas of the body. The areas most often affected are the ovaries and the walls of the pelvic and abdominal cavities. Endometriosis is most frequently diagnosed in women 20 to 40 years of age who have never been able to bear children. It has been believed by doctors that this disease occurs when impure blood from the uterus flows backwards into the abdominal cavity each month. This blood has clusters of uterine cells which can attach themselves to the ligaments, organs or walls of the cavity. The symptoms of endometriosis are bladder irritation and severe pain during bleeding.
Santokh Singh Parmar
Naturo-Food Therapist & Lifestyle Consultant
Mobile: +91(0) 9815922330
Websites: www.naturofoodtherapy.org & www.foodtherapy.org
Note: The above information and advice and indicative remedies are not a substitute for the advice, your doctor or naturo-food therapist may give you based on his/her knowledge of yourself.