Reproductive Anatomy Flashcards
What’s the border between the upper and lower female reproductive tract? What’s an easy way to remember this?
Lower is reachable, upper is not.
Lower: vulva and vagina
Upper: cervix upward
What are the outer boundaries of the vestibule of the vulva? What does vestibule mean?
- Everything between the labia minora
- Vestibule means “entry point” :)
Describe the location of the vestibular bulb and vestibular glands relative to the vestibule of the vulva
- Vestibular bulb runs around the lateral borders of the vestibule (deep, not surface). Erectile tissue; contains corpus spongiosum
- Vestibular glands are around the openings of the vagina (greater) and urethra (lesser)
Blood supply to female external genitalia
- Internal iliac artery and femoral artery
- Both give rise to internal/external pudendal arteries/veins, wihch supply external genitalia
Innervation of female external genitalia
- Pudendal nerve (S2, S3, S4)
- Just like bladder during voluntary relaxation of external urethral sphincter
Lymphatic drainage of external female genitalia
- Inguinal lymph nodes (for anterior) and rectal plexus (for posterior part)
What are the parts of the cervix that connect to the superior-most vagina?
- Fornix (=arch; dips into vagina from uterus)
- Anterior, posterior, and 2x lateral
What are the normal angles between the vagina and the cervix, and the cervix vs rest of uterus?
- Vagina and cervix: 90°
- Cervix and rest of uterus: 125°
Uterine prolapse can occur when the uterus is _____verted and _____flexed
- Retroverted
- Retroflexed
What three ligaments connect the uterus to the anterior, lateral, and posterior abdominal wall?
- Anterior: round ligaments (in inguinal canal)
- Lateral: cardinal ligaments (inferior border of broad ligament)
- Posterior: uterosacral ligaments
Which ligament contains blood vessels to ovaries?
Suspensory ligament
True or false: the round ligament secures the cervix anteriorly
- False
- The pubocervical ligament does this. The round ligament is specifically for the uterus
What is the lowest point of the abdominal cavity?
- Rectouterine pouch/rectovesical pouch in men
What are the two main arteries that supply the internal female reproductive tract? Where do they originate?
- Ovarian and uterine
- Ovarian comes from the aorta (significance?), and uterine comes from internal iliac
How does the venous supply of the ovaries differ from the arterial supply?
- Right ovarian vein drains into inferior vena cava
- Left ovarian vein drains into left renal vein (cannot cross pulsating aorta)
What are the three parts of the fallopian tube? Where does fertilisation tend to occur, and how do the fertilised eggs end up in the uterus?
- Parts are isthmus (narrowing), ampulla (cup[handle], where fertilisation occurs), and infundibulum (funnel)
- Ciliated cells push fertilised egg into uterus
Why does it make sense than men have internal urethral sphincters and women don’t?
Because this prevents reflux of semen into the bladder during ejaculation (esp. since the system is under high pressure)
Describe the anatomy/physiology of semen production and ejaculation
- Spermatogonia in the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules divide through mitosis. Some form primary spermatocytes, which undergo meiosis one to form secondary spermatocytes, which undergo meiosis II to form haploid spermatozoa
- Still in the seminiferous tubules, spermatozoa undergo spermiogenesis: shedding most cytoplasm, forming acrosome (from which organelle?) and growing flagellum
- In rete testis, sperm are concentrated
- In epididymis, sperm gain forward motility and other funcitonal maturations
- During ejaculation, muscles along the vas deferens/epididymus contract, propelling sperm up through the spermatic duct in the inguinal canal, and down posterior to the bladder
- Here, the sperm mix with secretions from the prostate and seminal vesicles, designed to stabilise, alkalinise, coagulate, and increase the odds of fertilisation
- They then exit the penis through the urethra
Which organelle becomes the acrosome?
Golgi body
What are the origins of the three main corpora of the penis?
- Two crura of penis form the corpus cavernosa on the dorsal surface
- Bulb forms corpus spongiosum on ventral side
From which tissue does the glans of the penis arise?
Corpus spongiosum
Which two muscles are involved in regulating the temperature of the testes? How?
- Cremaster: contract to bring the testes closer to body (inc temperature)
- Dartos: contract to wrinkle scrotum skin (increased SA:V, increased heat loss)
Describe the layers of the scrotum (deep to superficial)
- Tunica albuginea (white coat)
- Tunica vaginalis (exvagination of peritoneum)
- Internal spermatic fascia
- Cremaster muscle
- External spermatic fascia
- Dartos muscle
- Skin
