Female Reproductive Tract Flashcards
What are the main structures of the female reproductive tract?`
Ovary Uterus Uterine (Fallopian) tube Vagina External genitalia
What is the arterial blood supply of the ovary?
Direct branches of the abdominal aorta
What is the venous drainage of the ovaries?
Right ovarian vein - from IVC
Left ovarian vein - from left renal vein
What are the main parts of the uterus?
Fundus
Body
Uterine tubes
Cervix
Name the pouches around the uterus.
Anteriorly
- Uterovesical pouch
Posteriorly
- Rectouterine pouch aka pouch of Douglas
What is the broad ligament of the uterus?
Wide fold of peritoneum that connects the sides of the uterus to the walls and floor of the pelvis
Made up of the round ligament of the uterus, ovarian ligament and the suspensory ligament
It also contains the uterine tubes and ovary (on it)
What are the three subdivisions of the broad ligament?
Mesometrium
Mesosalpinx
Mesovarium
What is the round ligament?
Attached to ovary and labium majus
travels through inguinal canal
Embryologically it was the gubernaculum
What are the two positions the uterus can take?
Anteverted - with respect to the vagina
Anteflexed - with respect to the cervix
What are the main parts of the uterine tube?
Abdominal ostium (distal tube opening of uterine tube)
Fimbria
Infundibulum (between ampulla and fimbria)
Ampulla (most common site of fertilization)
Isthmus (medial third)
What is the function of the uterine tube?
To conduct the oocyte into the uterine cavity
Normally site of fertilization
What is the major difference of the peritoneal cavity between males and females?
In the female, the peritoneal cavity is open via the ostium of the uterine tube.
Name the main parts of the cervix.
Internal os (internal orifice) Endocervical canal External os (external orifice)
What is the transverse cervical ligament?
Thickening at the base of broad ligament
Lateral stability of the cervix
What is the uterosacral ligament?
Opposes anterior pull of round ligament, assists in maintaining anteversion.
Outline the blood supply to the female internal genitalia.
Ovarian artery - abdominal aorta
Uterine artery - anterior division internal iliac
Internal pudendal - anterior division internal iliac
Describe the lymphatic drainage of the female genitalia
Ovary drains to paraaortic nodes
Uterus
- Fundus - aortic nodes (& inguinal nodes)
- Body - external iliac nodes
- Cervix - external & internal iliac nodes & sacral nodes
Name the main parts of the external female genetalia.
Labia majora - enclosing the pudendal cleft Labia minora - Enclosing the vestibule of the vagina - Bulbs of the vestibule - Clitoris Vestibule - Orifices of urethra, vagina and greater & lesser vestibular glands
What are the glands of the vestibule (female genetalia)?
Greater vestibular glands - Bartholin glands
Describe the main parts of the vagina.
Vaginal orifice - opens into the vestibule along with the external urethral orifice and the ducts of the greater and lesser vestibular glands
Vaginal fornices (singular fornix) - recesses of vagina around the cervix
What is a culdocentesis?
Extraction of fluid from the retrouterine pouch using a needle by piercing the posterior fornix.
Describe the innervation of the uterus & vagina.
Inferior 1/5th vagina receives somatic innervation from pudendal nerve
Superior 4/5 vagina and uterus receives innervation from uterovaginal plexus
Pain afferents vary depending on pelvic pain line
- Inferior thoracic lumbar spinal ganglia
- S2-S4 Spinal ganglia
What is the innervation for the perineum?
Pudendal nerve
plus ilioinguinal nerve
