Reading 2 (Group 1) Flashcards
What type and shape of organ is the uterus? Where is it situated?
The uterus is a pear shaped pelvic organ that, in its non- pregnant state, is situated between the bladder and the rectum.
During pregnancy does the uterus grow? If so, where does it expand to?
During pregnancy, the uterus grows significantly and expands upwards into the abdominal cavity, above the bladder and the rectum.
What is the top part of the uterus called? What happens to it during labour?
the fundus.
This is the part of the uterus that contracts most strongly during labour and it is also where labour contractions are initiated.
What is is the largest subdivision of the uterus, situated immediately below the fundus?
uterine body (or corpus)
What is the lowermost, cylindrical portion of the uterus is called? What is an alternative name for it? What is it composed of? How long is it? Where does it project to?
cervix.
or the neck of the uterus (cervix is Latin for “neck”). The cervix is composed of fibrous connective tissue and is about 2.5-3 cm long. It projects slightly into the vagina.
What is the transition zone between the uterine body and the cervix? What is it the site of?
isthmus
It is the site of lower (“bikini-line”) caesarean incisions.
KNOW THE DIAGRAM ON READING 2 PAGE 1
What is the most prominent layer of the uterus?
the myometrium
How many layers does the uterine wall consist of?
3.
What are the 3 layers of the uterine wall called? Describe them.
(1) the endometrium (the inner-most layer, closest to the baby during pregnancy)
(2) the myometrium (the middle and most prominent layer)
(3) the perimetrium (outer connective tissue composed of serous membrane)
What is most of the uterus composed of?
Most of the uterus is composed of the myometrium.
Where is the myometirum particularly thick
in the upper part of the uterus and is sparser in the isthmus and cervix
What does the myometrium primarily consist of?
The myometrium consists primarily of smooth muscle fibers united by connective tissue containing many elastic fibers.
What direction do the smooth muscle fibres run in the myometrium? Where do they surround?
The smooth muscle fibers run in multiple directions and interlace to surround the blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerve cells
UNDERSTAND THE DIAGRAM ON READING 2 PAGE 2
Is the number of myometrial muscle fibres equal across te uterus? What is their displacement?
The number of myometrial muscle fibers varies in different parts of the uterus
Their number diminishes from the top of the uterus going down towards the cervix. In the fundus and uterine body, muscle makes up the majority of tissue mass. In the cervix, muscle makes up only 10% of the tissue mass.
How many layers are there of the myometirum? Are the muscle fibres oriented the same way in each layer? What is their orientation? Does the scientific community universally agree on this orientation?
Many medical textbooks, popular birthing books, and even Wikipedia, describe the existence of three separate layers of the myometrium, with muscle fibers oriented differently in each layer: vertically in the outer layer; in the shape of “figure either” in the middle year; and horizontally or in circular direction
in the inner layer
Whether or not such strict layering exists in the human myometrium is controversial, and something scientific knowledge does not have a clear answer to yet
Describe the myometrium in late pregnancy. How do the fibres run? How do the fibers connect?
In late pregnancy, the human myometrium contains thick muscle fibers that merge and intertwine to form an interlacing network.
The fibers run transversely across the fundus of the pregnant uterus, obliquely down the anterior and posterior, and transversely across the lower uterine segment .
These thick fibers intertwine and connect to each other through communicating bridges to form a continuous network spanning the entire
myometrium.
UNDERSTAND FIGURE 5 ON READING 2 PAGE 3
