Non-pregnant female reproductive anatomy and physiology Flashcards
What is the basic struct of the repro tract?
- its a tubular structure and the layers are the same all the way through the tract
What is the lumen of the tract lined with and supported by?
- lined with epithelium called mucosa, that is supported by the submucosa
What does the submucosa provide?
- provides nervous supply and drainage
What is the muscularis composed of?
- typically composed of an inner layer of circular smooth muscle and an outer longitudinal layer of smooth muscle
What is the connective tissue called that covers the tract?
- the serosa or perimetrium
What is the external opening of the reproduction tract called?
- the vulva
What are the anus and vulva collectively known as?
- the perineum
What is the space between the anus and vulva called?
- cutaneous bridge
What forms an external seal?
- the left and the right labia
Where the labia join in the dorsal plane what is this called?
- the dorsal commissure
What is the meeting point at the bottom of the labia called?
- the ventral commissure
What are the two sections of the vagina?
- cranial vagina
- vestibule = first portion
What is the structure that divides the two portions of the vagina?
- the hymen
Why is the vagina divided by the hymen?
- the cellular structure between two halves is different
What is the cervix in ewe like?
- its very convoluted
What is the cervix and what does it do?
- its a channel or tunnel that prevents debris or bacteria from entering the vagina
- forms a physical barrier
What is the uterine body like in the ewe?
- uterine body is relatively short in ewes compared to the uterine horns
What is the uterus body divided into and what is the point of division called?
- uterine body is divided into uterine horns and the dividing part of the horns is called the bifurcation
In ruminants such as the ewe the surface of the uterus is not smooth what is it covered in and what is the function of these?
- uterus is covered in caruncles
- this is where the placenta will attach
Where is the repro tract suspended from and by what?
- suspended from the dorsal wall
- suspended by peritoneum in the dorsal plane that has a double layer to form a ligament
What is the ligament called that suspends the reproductive tract?
- called the broad ligament
What is the broad ligament?
- a sheet of peritoneum that suspends the ovaries, uterine horns and body and the oviducts - the whole repro tract along its length
What is each layer of peritoneum continuous with?
- continuous with the peritoneal lining of the body cavity
Where the broad ligament suspends particular tissues it is re named.
What is the name of the ligament for the following organs:
1. ovary
2. oviduct
3. uterus and horns
- mesovarium
- mesosalpinx
- mesometrium
What is mesentery important for in the repro tract?
- for the vasculature
What is the salpinx an alternative name for?
- the oviduct
What ligaments are enclosed by the broad ligament?
- suspensory ligament of the ovary
- ovarian/proper ligament
- round ligament
What does the suspensory ligament of the ovary do?
- functions to tether ovary to the last rib and prevents movement
What does the ovarian/proper ligament do?
- ovarian/proper ligament connects the ovary to the tip of the uterine horn
- stops overstretching of oviduct
What does the round ligament do?
- connects the uterus to the inguinal canal
What does the intracorneal ligament seen in sheep do?
- connects left and right horn to prevents them from being displaced from one another
What artery supply the caudal part of the tract?
- vaginal artery
The vaginal artery splits into two - what does it split into?
- the uterine artery
- the ovarian artery
What is the uterine artery?
- supply the cranial part of the tract
- branch of the vaginal artery
- anastomoses with ovarian and vaginal arteries
What is the ovarian artery?
- direct branch of aorta
- variably convoluted
- supplied by own artery
- needs to be tired off or will get profuse bleeding
- joins with the uterine artery
Veins broadly accompany arteries. What is the differences between the ovarian and uterine veins to the arteries?
- ovarian vein is larger than artery
- uterine vein is smaller than artery
Veins almost overlay arteries - why is this?
- reason for this is due to hormone prostaglandin
- this must travel from the uterus to ovary quickly
- veins can collect prostaglandins and diffuse into artery quicky
Why are veins and arteries able to work together to diffuse hormones?
- able to do this as it works as a counter current mechanism
What species is the topography of a ewes repro tract and GIT similar to?
- a cow
What happens to uterine horns in a ewe?
- the uterine horns curl over almost 360 degrees
What are the ovaries like to scan in cattle and sheep?
- easier to find and are mobile to allow for easier scanning
What shape is the ovary?
- solid ellipsoid organ
- not spherical due to structures that are developed on it
What makes the ovary shape irregular?
- projections of follicles and corpus luteum
What does polytocous mean?
- multiple follicles develop to ovulatory size
The more polytocous the ovary the more what?
- the more irregular and lumpy it is
What is the ovary the site of?
- site of oogenesis and steroid hormone production and secretion
Where is oestrogen produced?
- from the growing follicle
If a follicle is bigger what is more likely to happen?
- more likely the follicle will ovulate
What happens when the follicle burst?
- it collapses in on itself and it bleeds
- this eventually forms the corpus luteum
What is the role of the corpus luteum?
- produces steroid hormone progesterone
- progesterone prepares the tract for pregnancy
- maintains early stages of pregnancy
The ovary has two components what are these?
- medulla
- cortex
What is the medulla of the ovary?
- inner zone containing nerves, blood vessels lymphatics
- provides nourishment
What is the cortex of the ovary?
- outer, dense, parenchyma, site of follicles and corpora lutea
What can be felt to work out the stage of pregnancy?
- the corpus luteum
Where can follicles ovulate?
- at any point from entire surface on the ovary ( not in the horse)
When a follicle collapses due to the bleeding it is not called the corpus luteum straight away - what is it called instead?
- Corpus hemorrhagicum
What is a big follicle called?
- preovulatory or dominant
What are the cells found in the inner part of the follicle?
- granulosa cells
What cells are found in the outer layer of the follicle?
- thera cells
What do granulosa and thera cells work together to produce?
- oestrogen
The fallopian tube is split into 3 sections what are these called?
- infundibulum
- ampulla
- isthmus
What is the infundibulum?
- first contact with ovary
- funnel shaped, soft tissue
- expanded and branched out at ovary
- contracts or adheres via fimbriae
- captures oocytes
What is the ampulla?
- muscular with ciliated epithelium, site of fertilisation at junction with isthmus
- transports sperm, oocytes and zygotes (times entry to uterus)
- reduced layer of muscle but extensive submucosa to catch sperm and increase its chances of coming into contact with oocytes
What is the isthmus?
- meets uterus at uterotubal junction
- narrows, muscular, fewer folds than ampulla
- abundant with muscle
What are the uterus and horns essential for?
- growth and development of the embryo and foetus
- placenta must attach here but doesn’t attach to the whole surface- caruncles
The uterus and horns have hormone receptors and secrete particularly what hormone?
- prostaglandin
The uterus and horns also provide immunological defence how?
- the epithelial cells and stromal cells act like immune cells, detecting foreign molecules which will amount to an innate immune responsible to protect uterine surface
How does progesterone effect the uterus?
- increase blood supply and uterine secretions to nourish the young embryo
Oestrogen detected in the uterus during heat stimulates what?
- the secretion of uterine fluid for lubrication
What is the myometrium ( in uterus) ?
- for sperm transport and foetal expulsion
What is the outer serosa called in the uterus?
- perimetrium
There are two muscle layers in the uterus - what are these?
- parallel
- longitudinal
What are the mucosa and submucosa in the uterus collectively known as?
- the endometrium
What does the endometrium detect and secrete?
- detects hormones, immune detection and hormone secretion
There are glands in the uterus which have delved into the mucosa- what do these produce?
- fluids such as uterine milk which nourish early stage embryo
What does the cervix project into?
- the vagina
What is the cervix?
- a muscular sphincter, relaxes during oestrous and allows for the transport of sperm
What is the cervix a barrier to?
- barrier to infection during dioestrus, anoestrous period and pregnancy
What does the cervix form during pregnancy?
- a cervical seal to maintain pregnancy
What type of tissue is the cervix composed of?
- composed of connective tissue
How does the cervix interact with sperm?
- mechanism for sperm selection
- sperm is ejaculated onto the cervix
- only the best sperm gets through
How does AI need to be performed in ewes?
- lateroscopically
Where is the cranial part of the vagina?
- from cervix to urethra
What is the cranial part of the vagina composed of?
- columnar epithelium
In the cranial part of the vagina what is the mucosa like?
- mucosa is a single layer of epithelial cells
- similar to what is seen in the uterus
- good environment for sperm and facilitates viability
Where are the boundaries of the caudal /vestibule part of the vagina?
- from urethra to external vulva
What is the vestibule vagina composed of?
- stratified squamous epithelium
What is the mucosa like in the vestibule vagina?
- multiple layers of epithelium so a thick mucosa
- makes it resistant to friction such as friction from mating
What receives the penis?
- muscular sheath
What is the urine outlet?
- urethra
Passive birth canal during partition allows for what and aid in what?
- can expand and retract
- compression on thorax helps clear lungs of residual fluid so lungs can inflate and foetus can take its first breath
Where is sperm ejaculated in ewes?
- intravaginally
