212 female histology

Question 1

What is the covering of the ovary?

Answer 1

mesovarium

peritoneal extension of the broad ligament

Question 2

Where do ovarian vessels and nerves enter the ovary?

Answer 2

hilum (from the peritoneal suspensory ligament)

Question 3

What are the layers of the ovary (superficial to deep)?

Answer 3

mesothelium (cuboidal cells)

tunica albuginea (dense connective tissue

cortex (cellular connective tissue with developing follicles)

medulla (loose connective tissue with vessels, nerves, lymphatics, and vestigial rete ovarii)

Question 4

What are the layers of a primary follicle?

Answer 4

zona pellucida (immediately around oocyte)
stratum granulosum (follicular cells)

theca folliculi (around basement membrane)

Question 5

What is the structure of a secondary follicle?

Answer 5

antral fluid fills the stratum granulosum

theca forms two laters (externa - connective tissue; interna - vascular and endocrine)

Question 6

What is the structure of mature follicles?

Answer 6

antrum enlarges

granulosa cells form cumulus oophorus, inner cumulus cells form the corona radiata (columnar)

Question 7

When does the first meiotic division of oocytes begin? When is it arrested?

Answer 7

begins before birth

arrested in prophase until puberty

Question 8

When is the first meiotic division of oocytes complete?

Answer 8

after puberty only in mature follicles - forms a secondary oocyte and a polar body

Question 9

When does the second meiotic division of oocytes begin? When does it arrest?

Answer 9

begins just before ovulation

arrests at metaphase until fertilization

Question 10

What is the hormonal trigger of ovulation?

Answer 10

leuteinizing hormone from the anterior pituitary

Question 11

What cells form the corpus luteum?

Answer 11

granulosa and theca interna cells

Question 12

What cell features are prominet in the corpus luteum?

Answer 12

lipids, smooth ER, mitochondria

Question 13

What does the corpus luteum do? What is its fate?

Answer 13

it secretes progesterone to prepare the endometrium/uterus for implantation and inhibits LH release

it degenerates if no pregnancy (corpus albicans), if pregnancy occurs it is maintained by hCG and placenta

Question 14

What are the four parts of the uterine tube?

Answer 14

intramural segment (in uterine wall)

isthmus (narrow part close to uterus)

ampulla (distal dilation)

infundibulum (funnel with fimbriae)

Question 15

What are the histological layers of the uterine tubes?

Answer 15

mucosa with simple columnar lining with numerous folds that have ciliated and non-ciliated (secretory) cells

lamina propria (loose connective tissue)

muscularis (interlacing smooth muscle)

Question 16

What cells make up the surface of the endometrium? What are the major layers?

Answer 16

simple columnar - both ciliated and non-ciliated

two layers: stratum functionale (sloughed off during menses) and stratum basale

Question 17

What is the structure of the myometrium?

Answer 17

three layers of smooth muscle with larger blood vessels in the middle layer (stratum vasculare)

Question 18

What is the serosa of the uterus?

Answer 18

mesentery that is continuous with the broad ligament that extends transversely across the pelvic floor

Question 19

What are the phases of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 19

proliferative phase - endometrium thickens

secretory phase - 1-2 days post-ovulation, glands secrete fluid

menstrual phase - corpus luteum is inactive, tissue becomes ischemic and sloughs off due to constriction of spiral arteries

Question 20

What is the gravid cycle?

Answer 20

fertilized ovum develops into a blastocyst (day 5)

implants into endometrium

chorion of blastocyst secretes hCG to maintain the corpus luteum

Question 21

What hormones are prominent during the first two weeks of the mentstrual cycle? Second two weeks?

Answer 21

first two weeks: FSH leads to estrogen secretion –> triggers LH secretion (ovulation)

second two weeks: corpus luteum secretes progesterone (with continued estrogen production)

Question 22

What endocrine products are secreted by placenta?

Answer 22

hCG, estrogen, progesterone, renin, human placental lactogen, and thyrotropic substance

Question 23

What is the villous chorion? Decidua basalis?

Answer 23

villous chorion = fetal part of placenta

decidua basalis = maternal part of placenta

Question 24

What are the layers of the chorionic villus?

Answer 24

outer syncytiotrophoblast –> endocrine layer in contact with maternal blood (manufactures and secretes hormones)

cytotrophoblast –> disappears late in pregnancy

extra-embryonic (chorionic) mesodermal core –> connective tissue where fetal vessels develop

Question 25

What are the layers of the placental membrane (maternal-fetal blood barrier)?

Answer 25

syncytiotrophoblast –> cytotrophoblast –> basal lamina of cytotrophoblast –> mesenchyme of the villus –> basal lamina of fetal capillaries –> endothelium of fetal capillaries

Question 26

What is the cellular structure of the vaginal epithelium?

Answer 26

non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium

cells have a washed out appearance and pyknotic nuclei

Question 27

What is a major function of the simple cuboidal epithelium (germinal epithelium) of the ovary?

a) projects inward to form glands
b) forms the capsule of the ovary
c) is a serous, peritoneal membrane
d) is the source of primordial oocytes

Answer 27

c) is a serous, peritoneal membrane

• the epithelium is continous with visceral peritoneum and has the same ultrastructural components as serous membrane cells; there are no glands in the ovary*
• the capusle (tunica albuguinea) is a dense connective tissue under the epithelium; oocytes come from the hindgut endoderm (germinal is a misnomer)*

Question 28

What is a characteristic of primary follicles?

a) has a stratified epithelium
b) has a cavity
c) is 10 mm in diameter
d) has a simple squamous epithelium
e) has a cumulus oophorus

Answer 28

a) has a stratified epithelium

B is for secondary follicles; C and E describe mature follicles; D describes a primordial follicle

Question 29

What is a major role of the theca interna of a secondary follicle?

a) forms a connective tissue capsule
b) protective layer of the ovulated ovum
c) site of entry of estrogen into the bloodstream
d) produces progesterone
e) metabolic support of the egg

Answer 29

c) site of entry of estrogen into the bloodstream

theca interna is the endocrine producer of theca cells

Question 30

What is an important effect of progesterone?

a) secretory phase of the endometrium
b) triggers ovulation
c) follicle development
d) maintenance of the corpus luteum
e) initiation of menstruation

Answer 30

a) secretory phase of the endometrium

progesterone acts on the endometrium to prepare it for implantation and maintains it during pregnancy

Question 31

Which one of the following changes the least in morphology during the menstrual cycle?

a) uterine glands
b) ovarian follicles
c) uterine tube epithelium
d) vaginal epithelium
e) cervical histology

Answer 31

e) cervical histology

• uterine glands elongate and swell with glycogen-rich fluid*
• follicles are always developing/changing*
• uterus changes proportion of ciliated cells*
• vaginal epithelium swells with glycogen in response to insulin*

Question 32

Which of the following is characteristic of the vagina?

a) elaborate, branched mucous glands
b) washed out epithelial cells with pyknotic nuclei
c) vascular submucosa
d) serosa with a high fat content
e) muscularis externa with an inner longitudinal layer and outer circular layer

Answer 32

b) washed out epithelial cells with pyknotic nuclei

few glands, no submucosa, no serosa