5. The Female Reproductive System and Pelvic Floor Flashcards
How do the ovaries get to their anatomical location?
Develop within mesonephric ridge and descend through abdomen before stopping in the pelvis. The gubernaculum connects the inferior pole of ovary to labioscrotal folds and mesonephric ducts fuse to form uterus which stops descent of ovaries.
What are the ovaries?
Almond shaped and sized female gonads in which oocytes develop, they’re endocrine glands producing reproductive hormones.
What suspends the ovary?
A short peritoneal fold - mesoveraium.
What is within the mesovarium?
A short ovarian ligament which tethers the ovary to the uterus.
What is the ovarian ligament a remnant of?
Superior part of the ovarian gubernaculum.
Describe the capsule of the ovary.
The tunica albuginea of the ovary. It is covered with a smooth layer of ovarian mesothelium that has a dull, greyish appearance.
Why does the epithelium of the ovary become progressively scarred and distorted?
Repeated rupture of ovarian follicles and discharge of oocytes during ovulation.
What is the arterial supply of the ovaries?
Ovarian arteries which comes directly off the abdominal aorta.
What is the venous drainage of the ovaries?
It is asymmetrical by the left and right ovarian veins.
Right ovarian -> inferior vena cava.
Left ovarian -> left renal -> inferior vena cava.
What is the lymphatic drainage of the ovaries?
Para-aortic nodes.
What are the parts of the uterus?
Fundus, body, uterine tubes, and cervix.
What are the relationships of the uterus?
Uterovesical pouch anterior, rectouterine pouch/ pouch of Douglas posteriorly, posterior fornix of the vagina.
What is the uterus?
A thick-walled muscular organ covered by serous membrane - peritoneum.
What is the uterine cavity lined by internally?
Mucous membrane - the endometrium. This consists of tubular glands that extend from the surface into the stroma.
What is the stratum functionalis and what is its tissue cycle like?
It is the superficial part of the endometrium, function layer. It has cyclical growth, degeneration, and shedding of dead tissues, controlled by hormones.
What is the stratus basalis?
The deeper part of the endometrium, basal layer. It is responsible for regeneration of the stratum functionalis.
What is the action of oestrogen on the endometrium?
Stimulates growth and proliferation in the proliferative phase of endometrium.
What is the action of progesterone on the endometrium?
Stimulates endometrial glands to secrete glycogen and causes extensive coiling, enriching the vascular supply to the mucous membrane in the secretory phase.
What happens in the menstrual phase according to endometrium, hormones, and vascular supply?
Endometrium breaks down and there is degeneration of the upper endometrium, bleeding and shedding of dead tissues. The hormones withdraw as the luteolysis of the corpus luteum degenerates. Vascular changes lead to bleeding.
What is the position of the uterus?
Anteverted in relation to the vagina.
Antiflexed in relation to the cervix.
What is the broad ligament of the uterus?
A double layer of peritoneum that extends from the sides of the uterus to the lateral walls and floor of the pelvis.
What compromises the broad ligament?
Mesentery of the uterus, uterine tube, and ovary.
What does the broad ligament do?
Helps keep the uterus in position.
What is the round ligament?
The embryological remnant of the gubernaculum that is attached to the ovary and labium majus as well as travelling through the inguinal canal.
What is the lymphatic drainage of the fundus of the uterus and why?
To the aortic nodes, that’s where it’s embryologically derived from.
What is the uterine tube?
A muscular tube that is narrow medially and has a funnel-shaped abdominal opening near the ovary, the ostium. It’s margins are drawn into fimbria - extension of the infundibulum.
Where does the infundibulum extend?
Medially into an expanded intermediate segment - ampulla.
What is the function of the uterine tube?
Assists in transfer and transport of the ovum from the ovary to the uterus.
Why are ectopic pregnancies in the uterine tube a problem?
It has different epithelium from uterine cavity epithelium so doesn’t support pregnancy.
What is the cervix?
The fibromuscular neck which protrudes into the upper vagina and contains endocervical canal linking the uterine cavity with the vagina.
What is the function of the cervix?
To allow sperm deposited in the vagina at coitus to enter the uterine cavity to proceed to the site of fertilisation.
What are the two regions of cervix?
Endocervix and exocervix.
What is the endocervix lined with?
Tall columnar epithelium with basally placed nuclei and greater part of cytoplasm filled with mucus. Mucosa contain large glands lined with tall, mucus-secreting columnar cells.