How to Get Pregnant: Male and Female Reproductive Organs

In order to get pregnant a male sperm must fertilise a female’s egg. The conventional way for this to happen is through sexual intercourse when the male penis enters the woman’s vagina and ejaculation of sperm occurs. The process of an egg being fertilised can also be carried out outside the body in a laboratory with IVF (In vitro fertilisation) in vitro being Latin for “in glass”. Timing is important when you plan on getting pregnant. You are most likely to be successful if you have sexual intercourse within a day or so of ovulation (when the female’s egg is released from the ovary ) which is usually around 14 days after the first day of a woman’s last period (menstruation). A woman’s eggs survive for about 12-24 hours after being released (sperm lives up to one week) so, if getting pregnant is your aim, having sex every couple of days will greatly increase the chances of sperm meeting egg. If you want to know how to get pregnant then it is a good idea to know how the male and female sexual organs work. The female sexual organs The pelvic area (below the belly button) houses a woman's reproductive system made up of both external and internal organs. The external organs (vulva) includes the opening of the vagina, the inner and outer lips (labia) and the clitoris. The internal organs comprise: The womb (also called the uterus) which is made of muscle and grows with the baby. Before pregnancy it is approximately the size and shape of a small pear. Ovaries: Two ovaries, about the size of an almond, store the eggs, or ova. Fallopian tubes: leading from the ovaries to the womb. An egg is released from an ovary into the fallopian tube each month, and this is where fertilisation takes place. Cervix: The neck of the womb normally just has a tiny opening through which blood passes during a woman’s monthly period. The cervix opens (dilates) during labour, to enable the baby to be delivered. Vagina: The tube-like vagina is approximately three inches (8cm) long and runs from the cervix to the vulva. It is very elastic so stretches around a man’s penis during sexual intercourse, or around a baby during labour. The male sexual organs Penis: Made of erectile tissue which causes the organ to become hard (erect) when filled with blood. Testes (testicles): Glands where sperm are made and stored. The testes are in skin outside the body (scrotum). Two tubes (vas deferens) carry sperm from the testes to the prostate and other glands. These glands add secretions that are ejaculated with the sperm. Urethra: the tube that runs down the penis from the bladder, via the prostate gland. Sperm travel down this tube to be ejaculated.