Female Genital Organs-17 Flashcards
female genital organs
vulva, vagina, uterus, fallopian (uterine) tubes and ovaries
Bartholin’s glands
at the outlet of the vagina
produce mucoid secretion that lubricates the vagina during sexual intercourse
uterine cervix
distal, narrow portion of uterus that projects into vagina
cervical canal
continus with uterine cavity
cervical os
opening of the cervical canal into vagina
impervious to bacteria and sperm
endometrium
glandular mucosa lining the uterine cavity
site of implantation of a fertilized ovum
follicles
specialized structures that house ova in the ovarian cortex
ovulation
once a month a mature ovum is released from its follicle and expelled from the surface of the ovary
occurs about 2 wks after menstruation
blastocyst
formed by meiosis of a fertilized egg
in repeated menstrual cycles
the endometrium is stimulated to proliferate or develop a rich blood supply and produce secretions that provide nourishment for the growing blastocyst. it is sloughed during menstruation if pregnancy doesn’t occur and immediately begins to proliferate again
menarche
first menstrual period of a pubertal girl
2 weeks before ovulation
in the 2 weeks before ovulation, the endometrium is in the proliferative, or actively and rapidly growing phase.
2 weeks after ovulation
the endometrium undergoes secretory changes to prepare for possible pregnancy
follicle stimulating hormone
produced by pituitary gland
stimulates maturation of a follicle in the ovary
the maturing follicle produces estrogen, which stimulates the endometrial glands to proliferate
luteinizing hormon
released by pituitary gland when estrogen levels reaches a critical threshold
-stimulates the release of the ovum from the follicle
corpus luteum
emply follicle continues to grow into a large mass of lipid-rich cells=corpus luteum
progesterone
produced by corpus luteum cells
encourage the endometrium to undergo secretory changes that make it hospitable to the blastocyst
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
produced by developing embryo
-maintains the corpus luteum
if pregnancy does not occur..
the corpus luteum slowly involutes and the withdrawal of progestogens causes the endometrium to degenerate and menstruation to occur
obstetrics
childbirth
gynecology
conditions specific to women
most frequent problems relating to female genitals that require medical care or counseling
birth control
infertility
routine: prenatal care, childbirth control of menopausal symptoms dx & tx of infections screening for cervical cancer
pregnancy loss
up to 1/4 of all pregnancies end in loss
most of these occur in the first 12 weeks
most common venereal diseases
gonorrhea
chlamydia
pelvic inflammatory disease
when gonorrhea and chlamydia spreads to the fallopian tubes
causes pain, discomfort, infertility and ectopic pregnancy
HPV infections
causal in the genesis of carcinoma of the cervix
leiomyoma
nodular overgrowth of smooth muscle cells in the uterus
“fibroids”- can cause abnormally heavy or irregular menstrual cycles, cause problems with the attachment of the placenta to uterine wall.
hysterectomy
surgical removal of uterus
common reason: leimyoma
tubal ligation
surgical interruption of the uterine tube- for child birth
amenorrhea
absence of menstruation
dysfunctional uterine bleeding
excessive bleeding caused by an imbalance of hormones
menorrhagia
excessive menstrual bleeding
metrorrhagia
irregular bleeding from uterus between menses
dysmenorrhea
cramping pain during menstruation
pruritis
itching of the vulva
speculum
device that spreads the walls of the vagina for exams
colposcope
aids in selecting the most appropriate biopsy sites
cone biopsy
removal of a cone of tissue including cervical os and endocervical lining for systematic histologic eval
ultrasound
used to visualize fallopian tubes and ovaries
looks for placental diseases or structural abnormalities of the fetus during pregnancy
laparoscopy
insertion of an endoscope into peritoneal cavity through an incision at the umbilicus
direct inspection of abdominal and pelvic contents
gonorrhea, chlamydia
caused by transmittable bacteria
smoldering infection in the uterine tubes
can cause irreversible scarring and infertility
symptoms may include urethritis or vaginal discharge or pelvic pain
urethritis
pain and urgency with urination
pelvic inflammatory disease PID
complications of infection by chlamydia or gonorrhea in uterus, uterine tubes and tissues around the tubes
very common
resulting scar tissue can seriously distort uterine tube so ova can’t pass through to uterine cavity
2 complications from PID
1: ectopic pregnancy
- life threatening- tube can’t accommodate growing embryo and ruptures- pain and potential maternal internal bleeding-death
2: implantation of a fertilizated egg in fallopian tube and infertility
syphilis
chancre=painless ulcer- develops in vaginal canal may go undetected until develops secondary syphilis- rash on palms, soles, headache, fatigue, lymphoglandular swelling
STDs can be transmitted to developing detus
chlamydia: can cause pneumonia and pink eye
gonorrhea: infection of joitns and sepsis
syphillis: transmitted across placenta. 40% will die in utero. those that survive-developmental delays, skeletal deformities
herpes simplex virus (HSV)
cause blistering lesions of the squamous epithelium of the vulva and cervix
babies are delivered c-sections during active lesions
condylomata acuminata
serotype of HPV
“genital warts”
transmitted venereally, moist mucous membranes
trichomoniasis
protozoan parasit, sexually transmitted
causes green-yellow, frothy, foul smelling discharge from vagina, itching, discomfort with sex and sometimes urethritis
doesn’t interfere with pregnancy
treated with antibiotics
candida
fungi normally present in vagina. under certain conditions that grow excessively and produce superficial vaginitis or vulvovaginitis
YEAST INFECTION
itching, pain, discomfort with sex, thick white discharge
prevented by presence of other bacteria that normally reside in vagina.
endometriosis
occurrence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, usually in ovary
responsive to estrogen- therefore undergoes proliferation and degeneration-bleeding then causes PAIN with: menstruation, sex, defection, urination, pelvic pain
scaring of uterine tube can cause infertility
**most common cause of pelvic pain
associated with certain carcinomas of the ovary
what is the most common cause of pelvic pain?
endometriosis
endometriomas
hemorrhagic cavities on surface of ovary- result in torsion of ovary or twisting around its vascular stalk with resultant ischemic injury
surgical emergency!
dysfunctional uterine bleeding DUB
most common cause of abnormal vaginal bleeding
not caused by a structural defect
results from derangements in hormonal control of ovulatory cycle
failure to ovulate may result in amenorrhea or excessive bleeding
polycystic ovarian cancer
associated with derangements in the control of ovulation
irregular menstrual cycles and infertility
menopause
permanent cessation of menstruation
~40 years after menarche
cessation of estrogen and progesterone production in ovary
oophorectomy
surgical removal of the gonads
