<P> The uterus is a pear - shaped muscular organ . Its major function is to accept a fertilized ovum which becomes implanted into the endometrium, and derives nourishment from blood vessels which develop exclusively for this purpose . The fertilized ovum becomes an embryo, develops into a fetus and gestates until childbirth . If the egg does not embed in the wall of the uterus, a female begins menstruation . </P> <P> The Fallopian tubes are two tubes leading from the ovaries into the uterus . On maturity of an ovum, the follicle and the ovary's wall rupture, allowing the ovum to escape and enter the Fallopian tube . There it travels toward the uterus, pushed along by movements of cilia on the inner lining of the tubes . This trip takes hours or days . If the ovum is fertilized while in the Fallopian tube, then it normally implants in the endometrium when it reaches the uterus, which signals the beginning of pregnancy . </P> <P> The ovaries are small, paired organs located near the lateral walls of the pelvic cavity . These organs are responsible for the production of the egg cells (ova) and the secretion of hormones . The process by which the egg cell (ovum) is released is called ovulation . The speed of ovulation is periodic and impacts directly to the length of a menstrual cycle . </P> <P> After ovulation, the egg cell is captured by the Fallopian tube, after traveling down the Fallopian tube to the uterus, occasionally being fertilized on its way by an incoming sperm . During fertilization the egg cell plays a role; it releases certain molecules that are essential to guiding the sperm and allows the surface of the egg to attach to the sperm's surface . The egg can then absorb the sperm and fertilization can then begin . The Fallopian tubes are lined with small hairs (cilia) to help the egg cell travel . </P>

Where are the ovaries located in the female