American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [563]
Surgery for cancer of the penis may be followed by radiation therapy (see page 23), in which X-rays or other forms of radiation are used to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells, or chemotherapy (see page 23), in which powerful drugs are used to destroy cancer cells throughout the body. In biological therapy, a relatively new, experimental cancer treatment, a doctor administers injections of the protein interferon to boost the natural ability of the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
9
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Most women will experience problems with their reproductive system at some time in their life. By recognizing the most common symptoms and talking about them with your doctor, you can often detect these problems in their early stages, when they are easiest to treat. The more information you have, the better you can protect or improve your reproductive health.
Your reproductive system is partly hidden and partly exposed. Your external genitals include the clitoris; the outer and inner labia, or lips; and the opening to your vagina. Together these external genitals are called the vulva. Your internal reproductive organs—the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries—lie inside your body so the processes of conception and pregnancy can be protected. All of the sexual and reproductive functions that these organs fulfill are directed by a system of hormones coordinated by the brain.
The internal female reproductive organs
Your reproductive organs are inside your lower abdomen, where the processes of conception and pregnancy can take place in a protected environment. Each month, one of your ovaries releases an egg, which travels through a fallopian tube toward your uterus. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm, it will implant in the lining of the uterus. If unfertilized, it will be shed during menstruation.
The external genitals
Your genitals are on the outside of your body near the openings to your vagina and urethra. Vulva is the medical term for the external female genitals.
Inside your outer and inner labia lies the clitoris, the organ of sexual arousal in women. Just below is the opening to the urethra, from which urine passes out of your body. The vaginal opening is behind the urethral opening and is partially covered by a membrane called the hymen until the first time you have intercourse. The perineum is the skin and underlying muscle between the vagina and the anus.
The vagina is the entrance to your internal reproductive organs. After intercourse, sperm travel up the vagina, past the cervix, and into the uterus. From the uterus, the sperm make their way up through the fallopian tubes, possibly to fertilize an egg produced by one of your ovaries. Usually, one ovary releases an egg each month. If a sperm fertilizes an egg, the fertilized egg implants in the uterus, beginning the process of pregnancy. An unfertilized egg is shed during menstruation (see next page).
Sex Hormones
The delicately balanced and precisely timed release of the sex hormones controls the female reproductive system. The sex hormones include the following:
Estrogen
Produced mainly in the ovaries, estrogen is the most important female sex hormone. Estrogen is responsible for triggering puberty in girls, including development of secondary sex characteristics such as breasts and pubic hair. The hormone maintains the healthy functioning of the reproductive system throughout life. Estrogen is also produced in small amounts in the testicles in men and in the brain in both men and women.
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
FSH and LH are manufactured by the pituitary gland in both men and women. In women, the hormones regulate menstruation by stimulating the release of an egg (ovulation) every month. In men, these hormones coordinate