Uterus

Information about Uterus

This article is about female reproductive anatomy. For the nightclub in Shibuya, Tokyo, see Womb (nightclub).

Uterus

Female internal reproductive anatomy

1. Round ligament 2. Uterus 3. Uterine cavity 4. Intestinal surface of Uterus 5. Versical surface(toward bladder) 6. Fundus of uterus 7. Body of uterus 8. Palmate folds of cervical canal 9. Cervical canal 10. Posterior lip 11. Cervical os (external) 12. Isthmus of uterus 13. Supravaginal portion of cervix 14. Vaginal portion of cervix 15. Anterior lip 16. Cervix
	subject #268 1258
Artery	ovarian artery, uterine artery, helicine branches of uterine artery
Lymph	body and cervix to internal iliac lymph nodes, fundus to superficial inguinal lymph nodes
Precursor	Müllerian duct
MeSH	Uterus

The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina; the other is connected on both sides to the fallopian tubes. The term uterus is commonly used within the medical and related professions, whilst womb is in more common usage. The plural of uterus is uteri.

Function

The main function of the uterus 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. Due to anatomical barriers such as the pelvis, the uterus is pushed partially into the abdomen due to its expansion during pregnancy. Even in pregnancy the mass of a human uterus amounts to only about a kilogram (2.2 pounds).

Forms in mammals

In mammals, the four main forms in which it is found are:

bipartite, as in cows
bicornuate, as in pigs
simplex, as with the pear-shaped one found in humans and horses
duplex, found in rabbits

Anatomy

The uterus is located inside the pelvis immediately dorsal (and usually somewhat rostral) to the urinary bladder and ventral to the rectum. Outside of pregnancy, its size in humans is several centimeters in diameter.

Regions

From outside to inside, the path to the uterus is as follows:

Layers

The layers, from innermost to outermost, are as follows:

Layer	Description
endometrium	The lining of the uterine cavity is called the "endometrium". In most mammals, including humans, the endometrium builds a lining periodically which, if no pregnancy occurs, is shed or reabsorbed. Shedding of the endometrial lining in humans is responsible for menstrual bleeding (known colloquially as a woman's "period") throughout the fertile years of a female and for some time beyond. In other mammals there may be cycles set as widely apart as six months or as frequently as a few days.
myometrium	The uterus mostly consists of smooth muscle, known as "myometrium". The innermost layer of myometrium is known as the junctional zone, which becomes thickened in adenomyosis.
perimetrium	The loose surrounding tissue is called the "perimetrium".
peritoneum	The uterus is surrounded by "peritoneum".

Major ligaments

It is held in place by several peritoneal ligaments, of which the following are the most important (there are two of each):

Name	From	To
uterosacral ligament	the posterior cervix	the sacrum of pelvis
cardinal ligaments	the side of the cervix	the ischial spines

Other named ligaments near the uterus, i.e. the broad ligament, the round ligament, the suspensory ligament of the ovary, the infundibulopelvic ligament, have no role in the support of the uterus.

Position

Under normal circumstances the uterus is both "anteflexed" and "anteverted". The meaning of these terms are described below:

Distinction	More common	Less common
Position tipped	"anteverted": tipped forward	"retroverted": tipped backwards
Position of fundus	"anteflexed": the fundus is pointing forward relative to the cervix	"retroflexed": the fundus is pointing backwards

Development

The bilateral Müllerian ducts form during early fetal life. In males, MIF secreted from the testes leads to their regression. In females these ducts give rise to the Fallopian tubes and the uterus. In humans the lower segments of the two ducts fuse to form a single uterus, however, in cases of uterine malformations this development may be disturbed. The different uterine forms in various mammals are due to various degrees of fusion of the two Müllerian ducts.

Pathology

Some pathological states include:

Prolapse of the uterus
Carcinoma of the cervix - malignant neoplasm
Carcinoma of the uterus - malignant neoplasm
Ectopic pregnancy
Fibroids - benign neoplasms
Adenomyosis - ectopic growth of endometrial tissue within the myometrium
Pyometra - infection of the uterus, most commonly seen in dogs
Uterine malformation
Uterine Didelphys - split or doubled vagina/uterus
Retroverted uterus
Rokitansky syndrome
Myoma

Additional images

Schematic frontal view of female anatomy	Uterus and uterine tubes.		Anatomical model of a human pregnancy
Sectional plan of the gravid uterus in the third and fourth month.	Fetus in utero, between fifth and sixth months.	Vessels of the uterus and its appendages, rear view.	Uterus and right broad ligament, seen from behind.
Female pelvis and its contents, seen from above and in front.	Sagittal section of the lower part of a female trunk, right segment.	Posterior half of uterus and upper part of vagina.	The arteries of the internal organs of generation of the female, seen from behind.
Median sagittal section of female pelvis.

References

External links

Gray's s268
Illustration at wku.edu
SUNY Labs 43:01-0102 - "The Female Pelvis: Organs in the Female Pelvis in situ"

• • [ e] Female reproductive system
Ovaries/Oogenesis	Germinal epithelium • Tunica albuginea • cortex (Cumulus oophorus, Stroma) • Medulla
Follicles/Folliculogenesis	corpus (hemorrhagicum, luteum, albicans) • Theca folliculi (externa, interna) • Follicular antrum (Follicular fluid) • Corona radiata • Zona pellucida • Membrana granulosa (Granulosa cells)
Ligaments	Proper • Suspensory • Round • Broad (Mesovarium, Mesosalpinx, Mesometrium) • Cardinal
Fallopian tubes	Isthmus • Ampulla • Infundibulum • Fimbria
Uterus	cervix/neck (External orifice, Canal of the cervix, Internal orifice) • corpus/body (Cavity of the body, Fundus) • layers (Endometrium, Myometrium, Perimetrium)
Vulva	Mons pubis • Labium (Labial commissures, Frenulum labiorum pudendi, Labia majora, Cleft of venus, Labia minora, Vulval vestibule, interlabial sulci) • Clitoris (Clitoral hood , Clitoral glans, Frenulum clitoridis, Clitoral crura, Corpus cavernosa, Vestibular bulbs) • Vagina (Bartholin's glands, Bartholin's ducts, Skene's glands, Skene's ducts, Fossa of vestibule of vagina, Vaginal fornix, Hymen)
Breast	Mammary glands • Nipple • Areola • Lactiferous duct
Other	G-spot • Urethral sponge

Shibuya (渋谷区 Shibuya-ku
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Womb is a nightclub in Tokyo, Japan. It was recently voted one of the top nightclubs in the world by Mixmag magazine.

History and Design

Womb opened in the spring of 2000 with a Junior Vasquez party.
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The round ligament of the uterus originates at the uterine horns, in the parametrium.

It leaves the pelvis via the deep inguinal ring^[2], passes through the inguinal canal and continues on to the labia majora^[3]
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uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina; the other is connected on both sides to the fallopian tubes.
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The fundus of the uterus is the top portion, opposite from the cervix.

Fundal height, measured from the top of the pubic bone, is routinely measured in pregnancy to determine growth rates.
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The external orifice of the uterus (or ostium of uterus, or external os) is a small, depressed, somewhat circular aperture on the rounded extremity of the vaginal portion of the cervix.
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The supravaginal portion of the cervix is separated in front from the bladder by fibrous tissue (parametrium), which extends also on to its sides and lateralward between the layers of the broad ligaments.
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The vaginal portion of the cervix projects free into the anterior wall of the vagina between the anterior and posterior fornices vaginae.

On its rounded extremity is a small, depressed, somewhat circular aperture, the external orifice of the uterus, through which the cavity
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The cervix (from Latin "neck") is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall.
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Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.^[1] All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood.

The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life.
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In human anatomy, the ovarian artery is a blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the ovary. It arises from the abdominal aortic artery below the renal artery, and does not pass out of the abdominal cavity. It can be found in the suspensory ligament of the ovary.
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The uterine artery is an artery in females that supplies blood to the uterus.

Structure

The uterine artery usually arises from the anterior division of the internal iliac artery. It travels to the uterus, crossing the ureter anteriorly.
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The helicine branches of uterine artery (or helicine arterioles, or spiral arteries) are small arteries which temporarily supply the endometrium of the uterus during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
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The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphoid organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, lymphatic tissues, lymph capillaries and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from tissues to the circulatory system.
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The internal iliac lymph nodes (or hypogastric) surround the hypogastric vessels, and receive the lymphatics corresponding to the distribution of the branches of the hypogastric artery, i. e.
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The superficial inguinal lymph nodes form a chain immediately below the inguinal ligament.

They lie along the saphenous vein (v. saphena magna), deep to Camper's fascia and superficial to the cribriform fascia which overlies the femoral vessels.
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Embryology is the study of the development of an embryo. An embryo is defined as any vertebrate in a stage before birth or hatching. Embryology refers to the development of the egg cell (zygote) after fertilization and the differentiation of cells into tissues and organs.
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The Müllerian ducts (or paramesonephric ducts) are paired ducts of the embryo which empty into the cloaca.

Regulation of development

The development of the Müllerian ducts is controlled by the presence or absence of "AMH", or anti-Müllerian hormone (also known as
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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organ (Latin: organum, "instrument, tool") is a group of tissues that perform a specific function or group of functions. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues. The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses

Subclass †Allotheria*
Subclass Prototheria
Subclass Theria

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The vagina, (from Latin, literally "sheath" or "scabbard" ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles.
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The Fallopian tubes, also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx) are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus.
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ovum (plural ova) is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. The word is derived from Latin, meaning egg or egg cell. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule
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fetus (or foetus, or fœtus) is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate, after the embryonic stage and before birth. The plural is fetuses (foetuses, fœtuses) or, very rarely, foeti.
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Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the delivery of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus.
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