Female Reproductive Tract Anatomy Flashcards
What are the components of the female reproductive tract?
- Paired gonads (ovaries) - Paired oviducts (=/~ fallopian tubes) - Uterus: uterine horns, uterine body, cervix - Vagina (repro) - Vestibule (repro + urinary) - Vulva
What are the 2 functions of the ovaries?
- Produce gametes 2. Produce hormones
What is meant by ‘monovular’?
Ovulates a single oocyte (derived from a single egg/ovum) –>Polyovular - ovulates >1 oocyte
Outline the structure of the ovaries
- Outer cortex (follicles and corpora lutea) - Central medulla (blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, CT)
What consists of the ovarian parenchyma?
- Follicles 2. Interstitial cell types
Outline the continuum of follicular development.
- Primordial follicles 2. Primary follicle 3. Secondary follicle 4. Tertiary follicle –> Tertiary (Graafian) follicle –> Rupture of follicle –> C. luteum –> C. albicans
What is indicative of a primary follicle (in outer cortex of ovary)?
- Onset of follicular maturation
- Flattened cells become cuboidal epithelium (granulosa cells)
- Zona pellucida (ZP) becomes visible = glycoprotein coat surrounding oocyte designed to prevent polyspermy
What is indicative of a secondary follice (found in cortex of ovary)
- Follicles with stratified epithelium, enclosing oocytes with a distinct Zona Pellucia
- Small fluid-filled spaces become visible btw granulosa cells (cuboidal epithelium) –> Spaces fuse to form antrum
- Thecal cells (theca=cup) = epithelial cells outside. Form a wall around follicles start to produce oestrogens
What are some features of tertiary follicles (in cortex of ovary)?
- Follicular epithelium produces fluid
- Forms ANTRUM
Tertiary (Graafian) Follicle
- Increases further in size
- Oocyte floats in antrum
- ~12 hrs before ovulation –> stigma forms –> follicle ruptures (stigma and oocyte released)
Key changes following a follicle rupture (outer cortex of ovary)?
- Empty follicle filled with blood
- Wall collapses & folds
- Cell luteinization & proliferation occurs
(Corpus luteum forms through vascularisation, follicular cell hypertrophy, lipid accumulation, endocrine organ - progesterone) - Corpus albicans
(scar from old CL, “white body”)
What are the 3 tunics of the female genital tract?
- Mucosal tunic (inner) - forms longitudinal folds in oviduct & non-gravid uterus
- Muscular tunic (middle tunic) - 2 muscle layers:
- inner circular and
- outer longitudinal layer
(separated by highly vascular layer) - Serosal (adventitial) tunic - composed of peritoneum, covering surface of oviduct, uterus and part of vagina
What is the structure and function of the Infundibulum?
- Thin-walled funnel, cranial extremity oviduct
- Free-edge of funnel (fibriae) come into contact with ovary
- Captures Ovum
What is the structure and function of the Oviduct? (including layers)
- Narrow, flexuous tube
- Fertilisation occurs in oviduct
- Joins apex of horn of uterus at uterotubal junction
3 layers:
- Serosa: lines the surface
- Muscularis: responsible for movement of sperma & ova
- Mucosa: folded, dividing the lumen into complex shape
- Mucosal folds decrease in complexity distal to the ovary
What are the components of the uterus?
- Uterine horns
- Body
- Cervix
- Endometrium (mucosal layer): uterine glands
- -> ruminants have caruncles for embryo attachment
- Myometrium (fibromuscular layer)
What makes up the cervix?
- Mucous secreting cells - produce material that hardens/seals off uterus
- Cervical wall - very muscular & capable of contraction
Where is the vagina located and what is it bound to?
Section of reproductive tract from the cervix to the entrance of the urethra (urethral orifice)
The fornix is a ringlike space (intrusion of cervix into vagina)
- Dorsally bound by CT to rectum
- Ventrally bound to urethra
- Long thin-walled and distensible in length and width
What is the location of the vestibule?
Extends from the urethral orifice to the external vulva
- May be a transverse mucosal ridge (hymen) at junction btw vagina and vestibule
- Vestibule walls are less elastic than vagina and come together at rest
- Mucosal layer contains lymphatic nodules
What does the vulva consist of?
- 2 laterally positioned labia (fatty tissue, highly vascular)
- Bordering a slit-like opening: vulval cleft
What is the purpose of paired broad ligaments in the peritoneum?
Paired broad ligaments suspend the genital system from dorsolateral wall.
What is the role of the placenta?
Combination of foetal and maternal tissues for exchange of materials between mother and foetus.
- Provides metabolic requirements of foetus
- Removes waste from foetal circulation
- Prevents mixing of foetal and maternal blood
- Associated with hormone production
What is meant by the term “placentation”?
Attachment of the outer-most foetal membrane (chorion) to the endometrium (uterus).
What is the role of the umbilical cord?
Umbilical cord connects foetus to chorioallantois
- Aminion covers surface
- Umbilical vessels
- Urachus: link between allantoic cavity and urinary bladder
What is the structure of a cotyledonary placenta and what animals may you find this in?
- Found in ruminants
- Uterine caruncles (mother): round elevations on endometrial surface
What makes up a placentome?
Caruncle (M) + Cotelydon (F)
A zonary placenta would be found in what animals?
- Carnivores
- Attachments occur along a central band surrounding the embryo
- Maternal epithelial & connective tissue layers are destroyed during implantation
What animals would you find have a diffuse placenta?
Sow, horse (mare)
- Areolae: shallow, cup-shaped indentations in the chorion.
Circular spaces between chorionic surfaces and endometrium.
Uterine milk is released. - Occur opposite uterine endometrial glands
- Chorionic epithelial cells lining areolae absorb glandular secretions
- Surface area of maternal-foetal interface is increased by microcotyledons (F) and crypts (M) associated with villi.
What is the structure of the mammary glands?
- Modified & enlarged sweat glands
- Develop as mammary buds along mammary ridges in embryo.
Consists of:
Glandular tissue - parenchyma
Fatty infiltrates
Fibrous tissue framework
Multiple mammary glands (or single complex e.g. udder)
Each gland has a branching duct system
Glandular tissue divided into lobules by CT
Lobules consist of alveoli (functional unit)
What are the functions of the mammary glands?
- Nourish offspring
- Deliver maternal antibodies to newborn offspring (in colustrum)
Outline the comparative anatomy of mammary glands.
Cow
- Location = “Inguinal” (caudal abdomen, cranial pelvis)
- Each gland has its own independent duct system, draining to a teat
- Each teat has a single opening
- Suspensory apparatus
- Udder can be very heavy during lactation
- Suspensory apparatus supports the udder
- Each gland (quarter) is suspended by:
Medial lamina (**Most important)
Lateral lamina
Small Ruminants
- Very similar to cow, except:
- 2 mammary glands
- Accessory teats are common
- Milk veins are less prominent
Carnivore
Number of mammary glands:
- Bitch - 4 – 6 pairs of mammary glands (usually 5 pairs)
- Queen - 4 pairs of mammary glands
Location:
- Thoracic, abdominal, inguinal
Number of teat ducts:
- Bitch - 8 – 20
- Queen - 4 – 7
Glands enlarge during pregnancy & lactation
Become swollen & pendulous
Mares
- 2 mammary glands form the udder (R & L halves)
- Each mammary gland drains through 2 teat openings at a single teat
- Therefore mare has 4 mammary “quarters” like a cow, but only 2 teats (each with two canals)
- Composition similar for cow, but relatively smaller
Pig
- 7 – 8 pairs of mammary glands along ventral trunk (thoracic – inguinal regions)
- Each gland drains into a teat via 2 openings
What is the route of milk production in the mammary gland?
Glandular cells –> drains into intralobular ducts –> drains into interlobular ducts –> lactiferous ducts –> lactiferous sinus (1. Gland sinus 2. teat sinus) –> papillary duct –> teat orifice
