Reproductive Systems

The “reproductive system” – the parts of our body that allow us to make babies and have sexual pleasure – is maybe the most amazing AND the most complicated.

In this section, we want to give you a chance to learn about the reproductive system – including its different parts and how it works together. Getting to know and understand your body will allow you to take control of your body and get the health care you need. In other sections, we’ll talk about sex and relationships, sexual pleasure, body image, learning what makes our bodies feel good, and more! [internal link to sections 3 and 4]

WHAT IS A REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM?

It’s a collection of body parts and organs on the inside and outside of our bodies that plays a role in a variety of bodily processes, like menstruation, sex, and pregnancy. In these sections you’ll learn the names of different body structures, (you might already know this as anatomy) as well as what these structures do (which is physiology).

LANGUAGE: HOW WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THESE SYSTEMS

The reproductive systems that we’ll talk about are commonly described as “female” and “male” systems. On this website, we are moving away from these terms, to acknowledge that there is more variation and complexity in how reproductive systems look and function. Instead of “female reproductive system,” you will see the phrases “bodies with a vulva and ovaries” or “bodies with internal genitalia”. Instead of “male reproductive system,” we will be using "bodies with a penis and testicles” or bodies with external genitalia”.

The ‘Sex Anatomy Spectrum’, which describes how there are far more than two types of bodies, can help us understand our uniqueness: everyone’s bodies are going to look and behave differently from one another and these differences are totally expected. They’re a part of human diversity!

GENDER IDENTITY AND ANATOMY

It’s important to remember that a person’s gender identity is separate from the anatomy they have. For instance, a person having a vagina and ovaries doesn’t have to mean that they identify as a woman. We've provided more information about gender, sexuality, and identity that you can explore [internal link to section 3]. Bodies that are thought of as female, or assigned female at birth (AFAB), often have a common set of organs and functions that make up their reproductive system, while bodies thought of as male, or assigned male at birth (AMAB), typically have another set. While these systems are common, they do not capture the experiences of many people whose bodies look and function differently. People who do not fall comfortably within the two systems presented on this site often identify as intersex.

Now, let’s take a look at the different external (visible) and internal parts of these reproductive systems.