Lec 2- The Female Reproductive System Flashcards
Where is the female reproductive system found?
found in the pelvic cavity.
What happens at the hilum?
vessels come in and out of the ovary.
What happens during ovulation?
The follicle ruptures
Oocyte is released from the ovary.
It then enters the peritoneal cavity.
Why is a sharp pain felt at ovulation?
This is due to the rupture of the capsule of the ovary due to the oocyte being released.
Why do nuns tend to get ovarian cancer?
This is because they don’t have children or sex, so they undergo more ovulations.
- In ovulation, the follicle ruptures through the capsule of the ovary.
- This means that there is an increased rate of mitosis which may result in metaplasia etc.
What is an ovarian cyst and why should you not burst it?
It is an epithelial lying fluid filled cavity.
- It shouldn’t be burst as the fluid in the cyst may be full of cancer cells and these can spill out if burst.
How might a person with an ovarian cyst present?
- mass effect - compresses adjacent structures.
- Bulky ovary can twist - ovarian torsion.
Where is the fundus?
It is the top of the uterus.
Where is the cervix and what is it like?
- It is more fibrous than muscular.
- It is The lower part of the uterus and it plugs into the vagina.
Why do you pee a lot when pregnant?
- This is because the bladder is anterior to the uterus.
- Hence when pregnant, the uterus presses onto the bladder.
What structure is posterior to the uterus?
The rectum.
What does a small pinpoint hole in the cervix mean?
That the woman has not had any children.
What is cervical eversion?
The cervix has been turned inside out.
You can see the epithelium lining the cervical canal.
What happens at the transformation zone in the cervix?
- Start to get changes here that can lead to cervical cancer.
- start to have more columnar epithelium
What does the round ligament do?
- It tethers the uterus to the pelvis.
- As the uterus grows, it pulls on the ligament resulting in pain and discomfort.
What happens to the abdominal viscera during pregnancy and what effect does this have?
- The abdominal viscera have been displaced and squashed.
- This splints the diaphragm, stopping it from descending normally.
What happens in the ampulla?
fertilisation
What is the isthmus?
It is the narrow part of the uterine tube.
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
This is when the egg tries to implant into the tube itself and there is not enough space.
- This can rupture and cause a huge amount of haemorrhage.
- it may be life threatening and the woman can die from hypovalaemic shock quickly.
What is the infundibulum?
It is the funnel shaped part.
it is there to funnel the egg into the tube.
What are fimbriae?
They are projections on the end.
- They are motile
- They are involved in attracting the egg released from the ovary into the tube.
How is the structure of the ampulla related to function?
- It is highly folded surface
- –provides a large SA and a cosy environment for the egg and sperm.
- It has cilia, which move the egg down.
- There are also peg cells, which release nutrients for egg and sperm function.
Describe the differences in peritoneum between men and women?
- The uterine tubes in women open into the peritoneal cavity.
- In men the peritoneum is continuous.
Where is the viscicouterine recess?
-This is between the bladder and uterus.
Where is the rectouterine pouch?
-This is between the rectum and uterus.
What is the broad ligament?
It is the peritoneal fold.
- It is basically a sheet dropped on to the pelvic viscera.
- It tethers the uterus to the lateral pelvic walls.
What is the origin of the round ligament and the ligament of the ovary?
- They are remnants of the gubernaculum.
- The ligament of the ovary is where the gubernaculum attaches to the ovary.
- The round ligament is continuous with the ligament of the ovary, it goes from the uterus to labia major, which is the female version of the scrotum.
What is the suspensory ligament of the ovary?
It is the neurovascular pathway bulging into the peritoneum.
-The ovarian artery and vein pass through here.
What is the angle of anteversion and what does it indicate?
-It is the angle between the axis of the cervix and the axis of vagina.
-<180 = anteverted. >180 = retroverted, means the cervix is pointing backwards.
What is the angle of ante flexion and what does it indicate?
-It is the angle between the axis of the uterine body and the axis of cervix.
<180 = anti flexed uterus. >180 = retroflexed.
How is vaginal pH maintained?
- Glycogen and lactobacilli are needed to maintain vaginal pH.
- The epithelial cells of the vagina is stratified squamous epithelium.
- They are very rich in glycogen.
- The breakdown of glycogen happens in the vagina providing the required low pH.
What part of the vulva is equivalent to the scrotum?
The labium majus.
Describe the three different types of FGM.
Type 1 - clitoris is removed.
Type 2 - Clitoris and both labia are removed.
Type 3 - everything is removed and the vulva is sewn in the midline, only a small opening is left for urine.
