Female reproductive anatomy Flashcards
What are the internal reproductive tract organs of the female?
- Gonads
- Uterine tube
- uterus
- vagina
- Vestibule
What are the external reproductive tract organs in the female?
- Vulva
- Clitoris
- Urethra
What is the germ cell producing organ?
Ovary
What are the conducing organs?
- Those aiding furhter development of the gamete
- Uterine tube and uterus
What is the developmental organ?
Uterus
What are the copulatory organs?
Vagina and vestibule
What are the different strucures found within the ovary?
- Follicle
- Corpus luterum
What is the function of the follicle?
- Oocyte development
- Oestradiol secretion
What is the function of the corpus luteum?
- Transient endocrine gland
- Progesterone secretion
Where are follicles usully located?
At the outer surface of the ovary
What are the 3 regions of the uterine tube?
- Infundibulum
- ampulla
- Isthmus
What is the function of the infundibulum?
Captures oocyte following release from the follicle in the ovary
Describe the structure of the infundibulum
- Covered with fimbriae
- Glides over surface of ovary, maximising chances of oocyte being caught
Describe the function of the ampulla
Where oocyte and sperm meet
Describe the structure of the ampulla
- Thickening of the oviduct, follows infundibulum
- Large diameter with many folds
- Ciliated epithelium
Describe the structure of the isthmus
- Thicker muscular wall than ampulla
- Fewer folds
Describe the structure of the oviduct as a whole
- Convoluted as runs within mesosalpinx
- Mixture of ciliated and non-ciliated simple columnar epithlium
Compare the oviduct in the mare and bitch
- Mare: undulating/wavy, ovarian bursa wide open
- Bitch: curves around ovary, bursa closed except small opening
What are the 3 layers of the uterine wall? (inner to outer)
- Endometrium (submucosa and mucosa)
- Myometrium (muscularis)
- Serosa (perimetrium)
What are the different shapes of the uterus?
- Duplex
- Bicornuate
- Simplex
Name the parts of the uterus
- Cervical end
- Uterine body
- Uterine horns
- Inter-cornual ligament
- External uterine bifurcation
What is meant by a duplex uterus? Give an example of a species with this type of uterus.
- 2 cervical canals, separate uterine horns
- Marsupials
Describe the bicornuate uterus
- 2 uterine horns
- Small uterine body
- Length of horn depends on degree of fusion
Describe the simplex uterus
- Single uterine body
- Remants of uterine horn
What feature of uterine feature do the sow and mare have in common?
- Endometrial folds
- Contribute to maternal placenta in pregnancy
What uterine feature do the cow and ewe have in common?
- Caruncles that protrode from endometrial surface
- Contribute to maternal placenta
Describe the uterus of the cow
- Bicornuate
- Uterine horns curved
- Uterine body short
Describe the uterus of the sow
- Uterine horns long coiled in caudal direction
- Small uterine body
Describe the ovaries and uterus of the mare
- Ovaries are sub-lumbar and dorsal in position
- Uterine horns are straight and uterine body is long
- Characteristic T-shape
Describe the ovaries and uterus of the bitch
- Ovaries sublumbar
- Mesoveraium short, dorsal position
- Uterine horns straight, longer and uterine body short
What is the cervix?
Narrowed end of the uterine body. Varying anatomy according to species.
What species have a single cervical ring?
Queen and bitch
What species have multiple cervical rings?
- Cow
- Ewe
- Sow
- Mare
Compare the patency of the rings in the cow, ewe, sow and mare
- Interlocking folds: cow and ewe
- Spiral interlocking folds: sow
- Loosely apposed folds: mare
Describe the inerdigitation of cervix and penis in the sow
- Corkscrew penis and cervix
- Locked into cervix during intromision
- Semen deposted into cervix bu quickly enters uterus
What changes occur in the cervix during pregnancy?
- Progesterone leads to increased viscosity of the mcuus and temporarily glues folds together
- Produced cervical seal of pregnancy
What are the histological subdivision of the vagina?
- Cranial vagina
- Caudal vagina
- Vestibule
What is the fornix vagina?
- Protrusion of cervix into the cranial vagina forming crypt or pocket
- Found in cow, mare and bitch
- Very secretory area
Describe the hormonal effects on the caudal vagina
- Secretory activity and thickness varies with endocrine status
- Oestrogen dominance = squamous epithelium thickens
What is the function of the squamous epithelium thickening?
- Provides mecahnical protection of vagina during copulation
- Block to microorganisms getting into submucosa
What is the significance of the hormonal effects on the caudal vagina?
Can swab vagina and determine the stage of the cycle
What is the function of the vestibule?
Joint uro-genital functions
Describe the anatomy of the vestibule
- External urethral orifice
- Sub-urethral diverticulum in some species (sow and cow)
- Lateral fossa in some species
Describe the anatomy of the vulva
- 2 labia - major and minor
- Meet to form 2 commisures - dorsal and ventra
- Clitoris under transverse frenulum
Describe the anatomy of the clitoris
- Under transverse frenulum
- Clitoral fossa surrounding
- Clitoral sinus in some species
What is the importance of the clitoral fossa in the mare?
May harbour pathogenic bacteria
What is the function of the ampulla-isthmus junction in the mare?
Acts as control point so only fertilised oocytes can pass through
What is the function of the uterine tube as a whole?
- Sperm transport and storage
- Oocyte transport
- Environment for fertilisation
- Gamete transport
- Uterine tube secretions provide environment for fertilisation
What is the functino of the uterotubal junction in the cow?
- Forms kink which blocks movement of embryos when oestradiol is present
- When levels decline, kink straightens out
What are the functions of the uterus?
- PGF2a production to control cyclical activity (except bitch)
- sperm transport/storage (and secretion)
- Environment for early embryo
- Contribution to placenta
- Parturition
What are the functions of the cervix?
- Barrier to uterus during pregnancy and other stages except oestrus
- Mucus during oestrus for mating
- Mucus also for flushing of foreign materials
- Barrier to sperm transport in cow, ewe and woman
- Allows sperm transport in mare, sow and bitch
What are the functions of the vagina?
- Copulation
- Parturition
- Micturition
Describe the anatomy of the bovine ovary
- Follicles on whole surface
- CL up to 2cm
Describe the anatomy of the equine ovary
- Very large (8-10cm)
- Ovulation fossa with germinal epithelium (cortex only in this area)
- Thick vascular zone (normally medulla) is peripheral
- Thick capsule over entire ovary except fossa
- CL and follicles scatterd in central oart of ovary near ovulation fossa, enclosed in densely rich vascularised tissue
- Large follicles and CLs do not form prominent surface elevations
What kind of epithlium is present at the ovulation fossa?
Columnar
What is contained in the broad ligament of the uterus?
- Vascular supply
- Lymphatic drainage
- Nerves
What are the components of the broad ligament?
- Mesovarium
- Mesosalpinx
- Mesometrium
Describe the formation of the broad ligament of the uterus
- Reprotract develops in retroperitoneal position
- Uterine horn and rectum push into abdominal cavity, eventually completely surrounded by layer of peritoneum
- Portion of peritoneum fuses to form double layered connective tissue sheet that supports the ovaries, oviduct, uterus, cervix and anterior vagina = broad ligament
What is supported by the broad ligament?
- Ovaries
- Oviduct
- Uterus
- Cervix
- Anterior vagina
What is housed within the mesovarium?
Blood and lymphatic supply to ovary
What is the function of the mesosalpinx?
- Supports oviducts and serves as bursa like pouch around ovary
- Complete sac called bursa in bitch
- Can be very small e.g. mare and human
What is the function of the mesometrium?
Supports the uterine horns and body of uterus
Where does the round ligament of the uterus run?
Caudally from tip of uterine horn to inguinal canal
- In the bitch runs through the inguinal canal
What is the round ligament the female equivalent of in the male?
The gubernaculum
Describe the round ligament of the uterus
- 2 “ropes” of connective tissue
- From top of uterine horn to front side of abdominal wall
- Through inguinal canal
- Blends into fatty connective tissue of the labia majora
Name the ligaments of the uterus and ovaries
- Broad ligament (mesovarium, mesosalpinx, mesometrium)
- Suspensory ligament
- Proper ligament
- Round ligament
What is the vascular supply to the ovaries?
Ovarian artery
Describe the origin of the vascular supply to the ovaries
- Directly from aorta
- Uterine branch supplies tip of uterine horn
- Anastomoses witin uterine artery in broad ligament
what is the importance of the intertwining of the ovarien vein and artery in some domestic species?
- PGF2a from ovarian vein to ovarian artery
- Counter current exchange system
- Needed as PGF2a is metabolised easily (except in mare, hence no intertwining in mare)
Describe the utero-ovarian countercurrent transport system
- PGF2a secreted from endometrium
- Passes into ovarian vein
- PGF2a from ovarian vein to ovarian artery
- High concentrations of PGF2a delivered to ovary (luteolysis)
What is the origin of the vascular supply to the uterus?
Branches of internal iliac artery
What is the vascular supply to the uterus?
Uterine artery and vaginal artery
Describe the uterine artery
- Runs within broad ligament
- Can be palpated against shaft of ilium
- Not present in dogs and cats
Describe the venous drainage of the uterus
- Mirror arteries but not in function
- Ovarian vein longer than uterine, drains most of uterus and ovary
- Close apposition to uterine
Describe the innervation of the uterus
- Autonomic
- Ovaries sympathetic from mesenteric plexus
- Uterus, cervix and vagina parasympathetic
- Sympathetic from pevic plexus
What structure of the female reproductive tract are derived from the paramesonephric tube?
- Uterine tube
- Uterus
What structures of the female reproductive tract are derived from the urogenital sinus?
- Vagina
- Vestibule
- Vulva
- Clitoris
What determines the type of uterus found in different species?
The degree of fusion of the paramesonephric ducts at the caudal end
How is the cervix formed?
Fusion of caudal end of paramesonephric ducts and cranial end of the developing vagina
What are the histological layers of the female reproductive tract? (moving outwards from middle)
- Mucosa
- Submucosa
- Muscularis (circular and longitudinal layers)
- Serosa
What is the function of the muscularis in the female reproductive tract?
- Enables contractility
- Important in female tract for movement of sperm or oocyte
- Parturition
Describe the structure and function of the submucosa in the female reproductive tract
- Varies in thickness depending on part of tract
- Type of mucosa also varies
- Houses blood supply and lymphatics
Describe the structure and function of the mucosa in the female reproductive tract
- Different type of mucosa in each part of tract
- Supported by submucosal blood vessels and lymphatics
What is the function of the serosa of the reproductive tract?
Connective tissue covering the tract
What is the outer layer of the uterus? Describe its appearance
Perimetrium, thin and transparent
Describe the myometrium of the uterus
- Muscle layer
- Smooth circular surrounds horns
- Provides motility
- Oestrogen leads to high tone, transport of sperm adn mucous material
- Parturition
What structures make up the endometrium?
Mucosa and submucosa
Describe the structure and function of the uterine glands
- Developfrom mucosa
- Penetrate submucosa
- become coiled with increased oestradiol
- Secrete materials that support development of pre-implantation embryo
When is secretion from the uterine glands maximal?
- When progesterone is released from the CL
- But glands form under influence of oestrogen
Describe the histology of the cervix
- Epithelium is columnar
- Some cells ciliated
- Many crypts and glands
Outline the histology of the cranial vagina
- Epithelium originates from vaginal plate
- Secretory in many species
What is the vaginal plate?
The thickened end of utero-vaginal canal and urogenital sinus
Outline the histology of the caudal vagina
- Between cranial vagina and urethral orifice
- Final epithelium derived from migrating cells from the vestibular region
- Stratified squamous in many species
Outline the histology and origin of the vestibule
- Between urethral orifice and vulva
- Stratified squamous in all species
- Derived from urogenital sinus
Where does the proper ligament of the ovary run?
Caudal ovarian pole to tip of uterine horn
Where does the suspensory ligament of the ovary run?
from dorsal body wall to the cranial ovarian pole
Outline the appearance of a good quality oocyte
- Compact cumulus
- Homogenous ooplasm
- Multiple layers of cumulus cells (>3)
Describe the appearance of a poor quality oocyte
- Expanded cumulus
- Granular cytoplasm
- Partially denuded oocytes
- Heterogenous appearance of ooplasm
Describe the reproductive anatomy of the female rabbit
- Ovaries very small
- No ovarian bursa
- Large aount of fat associated with entire female repro tract
- Broad ligament short and vessels friable
- Prone to forming adhesions
- Duplex cervix, no body, only horns
What is palpable in rectal palpation of the mare and cow?
- Vagina, cervix
- Uterus (bifurcation and horsn)
- Ovaries
