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Anatomy > Female Reproductive > Flashcards

Female Reproductive Flashcards

1
Q

What are the internal and external genitalia?

A
  • Internal genitalia
    – Ovaries, uterine tubes,
    uterus, and vagina
  • External genitalia
    – Clitoris, labia minora,
    and labia majora
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2
Q

What are the primary and secondary sex organs?

A

Primary sex organs
– Ovaries
* Secondary sex organs
– Other internal and
external genitalia

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3
Q

What are the layers of the ovary?

A

– Tunica albuginea capsule, like on testes
– Outer cortex where germ cells develop
– Inner medulla occupied by major arteries and veins
– Each egg develops in its own fluid-filled follicle

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4
Q

What are the ligaments of the ovary?

A

– Attached to uterus by ovarian ligament
– Attached to pelvic wall by suspensory ligament
* Contains ovarian artery, vein, and nerves

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5
Q

What is the fallopian tube lined with?

A

ciliated cells

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6
Q

What are the portions of the fallopian tube?

A

– Infundibulum: flared,
trumpet-shaped distal
(ovarian) end
– Fimbriae: feathery
projections on
infundibulum
– Ampulla: middle and
longest part
– Isthmus: narrower end
toward uterus

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7
Q

What is the mesosalpinx?

A

superior
portion of broad ligament
that enfolds uterine tube

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8
Q

What are the portions of the uterus?

A
  • Fundus—broad superior curvature
  • Body (corpus)—middle portion
  • Cervix—cylindrical inferior end
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9
Q

What direction does the uterus tilt?

A

Over bladder

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10
Q

What is the uterus in a nonpregnant person?

A

potential space

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11
Q

What are the parts of the cervical canal?

A
  • Internal os—superior opening of canal into body of uterus
  • External os—inferior opening of canal into vagina
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12
Q

What are the 3 parts of the uterine wall?

A

perimetrium, myometrium, endometrium

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13
Q

What is the myometrium composed of?

A

smooth muscle

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14
Q

What are the 2 layers of the endometrium? Which one doesn’t change?

A

functional layer & basal layer, basal layer

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15
Q

What are the features of the vagina?

A

– Allows for discharge of menstrual fluid, receipt of penis
and semen, and birth of baby
– Outer adventitia, middle muscularis, and inner mucosa
– Tilted posteriorly between rectum and urethra
– Vagina has no glands
– Fornices: blind-ended spaces at top of vagina that extend
slightly beyond the cervix
– Transverse friction ridges (vaginal rugae) at lower end

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16
Q

What are the components of the vulva?

A

– Mons pubis: mound of fat over pubic symphysis bearing
most of the pubic hair
– Labia majora: pair of thick folds of skin and adipose
tissue inferior to the mons
* Pudendal cleft—fissure between labia majora
– Labia minora: thin, hairless folds medial to labia majora
* Space between forms vestibule which contains urethral
and vaginal openings
* Anterior margins of labia minora join to form hood-like
prepuce over clitoris

17
Q

What are the regions of the breast?

A

– Body: conical to pendulous, with nipple at its apex
– Axillary tail: extension toward armpit
* Lymphatics in axillary tail are important as a route for
breast cancer metastasis

18
Q

What happens at the onset of puberty? What age?

A

8-10, * Triggered by rising levels of GnRH which
stimulates anterior pituitary to secrete FSH and
LH
* FSH stimulates ovarian follicles and they begin to
secrete estrogen, progesterone, inhibin, and a
small amount of androgen
* Estrogens are feminizing hormones with
widespread effects on the body
– Estradiol (most abundant), estriol, and estrone

19
Q

What are the 3 stages of puberty?

A

Thelarche (breast development), Pubarche (pubic hair development), and Menarche (onset of period)

20
Q

What are the first few menstrual cycles?

A

anovulatory

21
Q

What are the effects of estrogen and progesterone in puberty?

A
  • Estradiol stimulates many changes in puberty
    – Stimulates vaginal metaplasia
    – Stimulates growth of ovaries and secondary sex organs
    – Stimulates growth hormone secretion
  • Increase in height and widening of pelvis
    – Stimulates fat deposition (breast, hips, etc…)
    – Thickens skin
  • But girls’ skin is still thinner, softer, and warmer than boys
  • Progesterone
    – Primarily acts on the uterus preparing it for possible
    pregnancy in the second half of the menstrual cycle
22
Q

What does inhibin do?

A

selectively suppress FSH

23
Q

What is climacteric?

A

midlife change in hormone secretion

24
Q

What are the signs of menopause?

A

– Follicles less responsive to gonadotropins – secrete less
estrogen and progesterone
– Uterus, vagina, and breast atrophy
– Intercourse may become uncomfortable
– Vaginal infections more common
– Skin becomes thinner
– Cholesterol levels rise, increasing risk of cardiovascular
disease
– Bone mass declines, increasing risk of osteoporosis
– Blood vessels constrict and dilate in response to shifting
hormone balances
* Dilations may produce hot flashes: spreading sense of
heat from abdomen to thorax, neck, and face

25
Q

What is menopause and when does it happen?

A
  • Menopause—cessation of menstrual cycles
    – Usually occurs between ages of 45 and 55
    – Age of menopause has increased in last century
    – Menopouse considered complete when there has been
    no menstruation for a year
26
Q

What are the 2 parts of the sexual cycle?

A
  • Ovarian cycle—events in ovaries
  • Menstrual cycle—parallel changes in uterus
27
Q

What is oogenesis?

A
  • Oogenesis—egg production
    – Produces haploid gametes by means of meiosis
    – Distinctly cyclic event that normally releases one egg
    each month
    – Accompanied by cyclic changes in hormone secretion
    – Cyclic changes in histological structure of the ovaries and
    uterus
  • Uterine changes result in monthly menstrual flow
28
Q

What is folliculogenesis?

A

development of the follicles
around the egg that undergoes oogenesis

29
Q

What are the different stages of folliculogenesis?

A

– Primordial follicles
* Consists of a primary oocyte in early meiosis
* Surrounded by a single layer of squamous follicular cells
* Follicular cells connected to the oocyte by fine cytoplasmic
processes for passage of nutrients and chemical signals
* Concentrated in the cortex of the ovary
– Primary follicles
* Contain larger, secondary oocytes and a surrounding layer of
cuboidal follicular cells
– Secondary follicles
* Oocytes are even larger and follicular cells now in two or
more layers (granulosa cells)
* Zona pellucida—layer of glycoprotein gel secreted by
granulosa cells around the oocyte
* Theca folliculi—connective tissue around the granulosa
cells condenses to form a fibrous husk that differentiates into
two layers
– Theca externa: outer fibrous capsule rich in blood vessels
– Theca interna: inner cellular, hormone-secreting layer
producing androgens (androstenedione and testosterone), and
granulosa cells convert them to estradiol
– Tertiary follicles
* As pools enlarge, they merge, forming a single antrum
* Cumulus oophorus—a mound of granulosa cells on one
side of the antrum that covers the oocyte and secures it to
the follicular wall
* Corona radiata—innermost layer of cells in the cumulus
surrounding zona pellucida and oocyte
– Forms a protective barrier around egg with function similar to
blood–testis barrier
– Mature follicles
* About 20 days before ovulation, one follicle becomes
dominant (the one destined to ovulate)
– Remainder degenerate
* It captures and holds FSH
* At about 5 days before ovulation it is large enough to be
considered a preovulatory (graafian) follicle

30
Q

How long is the sexual cycle? What are the stages?

A

28 days, follicular, ovulation, luteal

31
Q

What is the hierarchy of hormonal control?

A

hypothalamus - pituitary - ovaries - uterus

32
Q

What is the follicular phase?

A

extends from beginning of
menstruation until ovulation (Days 1-14)
– Includes preovulatory phase: from end of menstruation
until ovulation
– Most variable part of cycle; seldom possible to predict date
of ovulation
– FSH stimulates follicles to grow and secrete estradiol
– Dominant follicle becomes increasingly sensitive to FSH,
LH, and estradiol

33
Q

What is the ovulation phase?

A

rupture of the mature follicle and
release of its egg and attendant cells
– Typically around day 14
* Estradiol stimulates a surge of LH and a lesser
spike of FSH by anterior pituitary
– LH induces several events
* Primary oocyte completes meiosis I (producing secondary
oocyte and first polar body)
* Follicular fluid builds rapidly and follicle swells (resembles
blister on ovary)
* Macrophages and leukocytes secrete enzymes that weaken
follicle wall
* Nipple-like stigma appears on surface
– Ovulation takes only 2 to 3 minutes
* Stigma seeps follicular fluid for 1 to 2 minutes
* Follicle bursts and remaining fluid oozes out carrying the
secondary oocyte and cumulus oophorus
* Normally swept up by ciliary current and taken into
uterine tube

34
Q

What happens in the luteal phase?

A

day 15 to day 28,
from just after ovulation to onset of menstruation
* If pregnancy does not occur, events happen as
follows:
– When follicle ruptures it collapses and bleeds into antrum
– Clotted blood is slowly absorbed
– Granulosa and theca interna cells multiply and fill antrum
– Dense bed of capillaries grows amid them
– Ovulated follicle has now become the corpus luteum
* Named for yellow lipid that accumulates in theca interna
cells, now called lutein cells
– Transformation from ruptured follicle to corpus
luteum is regulated by LH
* LH stimulates corpus luteum to grow and secrete rising
levels of estradiol and progesterone
* 10-fold increase in progesterone is most important aspect
of luteal phase
– Progesterone has a crucial role in preparing the uterus
for possibility of pregnancy
– LH and FSH secretion declines over the rest of the cycle
– High levels of estradiol and progesterone, along with
inhibin from the corpus luteum, have a negative feedback
effect on the pituitary
– Corpus luteum begins process of involution (shrinkage)
* Beginning about day 22 (8 days after ovulation)
* By day 26 involution is complete and what was corpus
luteum becomes corpus albicans—small scar
* With diminishing ovarian steroid secretion, FSH levels rise,
ripening a new cohort of follicles
– Ovulation occurs in one ovary per cycle with the two
ovaries usually alternating from month to month`

35
Q

What are the phases of the menstrual cycle?

A

proliferative phase,
secretory phase, premenstrual phase, and menstrual
phase

36
Q

What is the proliferative phase?

A

rebuilding of functional layer
of endometrium that was lost in last menstruation
– At day 5 of menstruation, the endometrium is about 0.5
mm thick and consists only of basal layer
– As new cohort of follicles develops, they secrete more
estrogen
– Estrogen stimulates mitosis in basal layer and regrowth of
blood vessels to regenerate the functional layer
– By day 14, endometrium is 2 to 3 mm thick
– Estrogen also stimulates endometrial cells to produce
progesterone receptors

37
Q

What is the secretory phase?

A

endometrium thickens more in
response to progesterone from corpus luteum
– Day 15 to day 26
– Thickening due to secretion and fluid accumulation
rather than mitosis
– Endometrial glands secrete glycogen
– Glands grow wider, longer, and more coiled
– Endometrium 5 to 6 mm thick
– Soft, wet, nutritious bed available for embryonic
development

38
Q

What is the premenstrual phase?

A

period of endometrial
degeneration
– Last 2 days of the cycle
– Corpus luteum atrophies and progesterone levels fall
– Triggers spasmodic contractions of spiral arteries
– Causes endometrial ischemia (interrupted blood flow)
– Brings about tissue necrosis and menstrual cramps
– Pools of blood accumulate in the functional layer
– Necrotic endometrium mixes with blood and serous fluid:
menstrual fluid

39
Q

What is the menstrual phase?

A

discharge of
menstrual fluid from the vagina
* First day of discharge is day 1 of the new cycle
* Average woman expels about 40 mL of blood and
35 mL of serous fluid over a 5-day period
* Contains fibrinolysin so it does not clot

Anatomy (14 decks)

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