Scenario 21: Fertility Flashcards
What are the sexual characteristics of a male?
Males are XY, have testis, have vas deferens, seminal vesicles and epididymis, have penis and scrotum, have larger shoulders and muscles, have male behaviour
What are the sexual characteristics of a female?
Females are XX, have ovaries, have uterus and fallopian tube, have vagina, clitoris and vulva, have wider hips and more body fat, have female behaviour
What duct in males leads to development of vas deferens, seminal vesicle and epididymis?
Wolffian duct
What duct in females leads to development of uterus, upper vagina and fallopian tube?
Mullerian duct
What leads to the formation of external genitalia in males and females?
Urogenital sinus
What would be the manifestation of a foetus with XXY chromosomes?
Klinefelter syndrome- a male with slowly degenerating testis
What would be the manifestation of a foetus with XYY chromosomes?
Unusually tall male, heavy acne, mild retardation
What would be the manifestation of a foetus with XO chromosomes?
Turner syndrome- short stature, ovaries degenerate late in fetal life
What is the switch to form the male gender?
The SRY gene on the Y chromosome, which remains on the Y chromosome only
Which hormone in males prevents uterus and fallopian tube formation?
Anti-mullerian hormone
What syndrome is present in the absence of anti-mullerian hormone?
Persistant Mullerian Duct Syndrome
How are scrotum and penis formed from the common primordium?
Testosterone is converted to 5a reductase then to DHT which forms the scrotum and penis
What is cryptorchidism?
Testes fail to descend, inhibits spermatogenesis, may cause testicular tumours
What is androgen insensitivity?
A person is genetically male but insensitive to androgens so have the phenotype of a female but no menstruation and a blind ended vagina
What are the three layers of uterine lining?
Serosa, myometrium and endometrium
What is the serosa of the uterus formed of?
Paterial peritoneum
What is the myometrium of the uterus formed of?
Smooth muscle
What is the endometrium of the uterus formed of?
Largely glandular, shed during menstration
What are the parts of the uterus?
Fundus, body and cervix. Body meets cervix at the isthmus where there is less SM and more collagen
What do the cervix and vagina secrete?
The cervix secretes alkaline mucus. The vagina secretes glycogen which bacteria consume and produce lactic acid making the vagina acidic
What is the angle of anteversion?
The angle of the uterus on the vagina. The vagina is directed backward by 15 degrees and the uterus projects forwards by 90
How does the position of the uterus change with pregnancy?
By the 4/5th month it has reached the level of the mother’s umbilicus and then grows upwards into the upper abdominal cavity compressing abdominal and pelvic organs
What is a bimanual palpation?
Palpation of the uterus through the anterior abdominal wall whilst palpating the cervix in manual examination
What is the broad ligament of the uterus?
A double fold of peritoneum which is draped over the uterus and continues to lateral pelvic walls as the suspensory ligament of the ovary
What is the mesovarium?
Suspends ovaries from the posterior wall of the broad ligmaent
What are fimbrae?
The expanded ends of the ovaries which beat and waft fluid to themsleves
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
When an the ovary breaks down the wall of the broad ligament and releases an oocyte into the peritoneum, the oocyte may be fertilised there which would case an ectopic pregnancy
When are the ovaries formed in development?
In the 7th week of life on the posterior abdominal wall, guided to the lateral wall by the gubernaculum
What is the round ligament of the uterus?
The remainder of the gubernaculum in adults which passes through the broad ligament and to the inguinal canal
What are the cervical ligaments?
Condensations of the levator ani fascia which hold the uterus in place (pubocervical, transverse cervical and sacrocervical ligaments)
Why may the uterus prolapse after menopause?
The cervical ligaments are controlled by oestrogen and may slacken after menopause when oestrogen is low
How does the cervix change in women who have and haven’t had children?
Smaller os circular in nuliparous women and parous or multiparous women there is a larger, slit like os
How does the feel of the cervix change throughout different stages of a woman’s life?
Ovulation- may drop and be firm/painful to touch
Pregnancy- rises and os is blocked by mucus plug, becomes softer and more vascular near the end of pregnancy
What are the four parts of the fallopian tube?
Infundibulum, ampulla, isthmus and intramural region
Where may an oocyte be fertilised?
In the ampulla of the fallopian tube
How is the fertilised oocyte transported from the ampulla of the fallopian tube to the uterus?
Peristaltic contractions and wafting of cilia
What is the nerve supply of the female reproductive system generally?
Inferior hypogastric plexus with parasympathetic component of this S2-4
What is the blood supply of the ovaries, uterus and vagina?
Ovarian arteries for the ovaries, anastomosing branches of the internal iliac for vagina and uterus
How does an ovarian follicle develop?
Primary follicle grows with egg inside, follicle matures and follicular fluid surrounds egg, follicle releases egg surrounded in protective cells in ovulation, empty follicle is corpus luteum which regresses
What are the 3 phases of the ovarian cycle?
Follicular phase- days 1-10. Ovulatory phase- days 11-14. Luteal phase- days 14-28
What happens in the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle?
Hormones signal 10-20 follicles to grow on ovaries, oestrogen matures one oocyte
What happens in the ovulatory phase of the ovarian cycle?
Oocyte undergoes cell division, follicle wall thins and ruptures. Oocyte enters abdominal cavity near fimbrae of fallopian tube
What happens in the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle?
Oestrogen levels drop, egg travels through fallopian tube towards uterus.
What is the function of oestrogen as a reproductive hormone?
Affects maturation of reproductive hormones, menstruation and pregnancy
What is the function of progesterone as a reproductive hormone?
Maintains uterine lining
What is the function of gonadotrophin releasing hormone as a reproductive hormone?
Promotes gonad maturation, regulates menstrual cycle
What is the function of FSH as a reproductive hormone?
Regulates ovarian function and maturation of ovarian follicles
What is the function of lutenising hormone as a reproductive hormone?
Aids protection of oestrogen and progesterone, regulates maturation of ovarian follicles, triggers ovulation
What is the function of human chorionic gonadotrophin as a reproductive hormone?
Helps sustain pregnancy, embryo and placenta
What is the function of testosterone as a reproductive hormone?
Stimulate sexual interest
What is the function of oxytocin as a reproductive hormone?
Stimulate uterine contraction and childbirth
What is the function of prolactin as a reproductive hormone?
Milk production
What is the function of prostaglandins in reproduction?
Mediate hormonal response, stimulate muscle contractions
What happens in days 1-5 of the menstrual cycle?
Functional layer is detached from uterine wall resulting in menses
What happens in days 6-14 of the menstrual cycle?
Proliferative phase. GnRH stimulates FSH and LH to stimulate follicular development leading to increased oestrogen levels. This causes the endometrium to proliferate and thicken, tubular glands and spiral arteries form.
What happens in days 13-14 of the menstrual cycle?
Ovulatory phase, glands are long and tortuous due to active growth. Stoma gradually becomes oedematus
What happens in days 15-22 of the menstrual cycle?
Rising levels of progesterone. Enlargement of glands which begin to secrete mucus and glycogen in preparation for implantation of the fertilised ovum. Increased fluid in stroma
What happens in days 23-28 of the menstrual cycle?
Premenstrual state. If fertilisation has not occured then the corpus luteum degrades, progesterone levels drop and endometrium degenerates. Withdrawal of LH results in luteolysis. Uterine glands are wide tortuous and sacular. Spiral arteries begin contracting, the capillary beds they supply in the stroma begin to seep blood into endometrium then into uterine cavity.
How do steroids affect GnRH release?
Inhibit it in hypothalamus, sensitise or desensitise pituitary to GnRH depending
How do steroids affect oestrogen release?
When E2 low negative feedback occurs, when it’s high positive feedback occurs
How does increased age affect the child-bearing abilities of women?
Decreases pregnancy, increases miscarriage rate, increase aneuploidy due to non-disjunction
Why does fertility decrease with age?
Germ cells in the female are not replenished in life, number of oocytes decreases from birth to menopause, quality decreases with age (as are subject to more mutations throughout life). Inhibitin B production by small follicles decreases, suppression of FSH decreases and secretion of FSH by pituitary increase.
What is a test for depleted ovarian pool in women?
Elevated day-3 FSH level in women
What is the membraneous fascia of the scrotum?
Colle’s fascia
What is the superficial fascia of the scrotum?
Dartos fascia with dartos muscle
What is the deep fascia of the penis?
Buck’s fascia forming the suspensory ligament of the penis
What connects the glans to the foreskin?
The frenumlum
Which nerves supply the anterior part of scrotal skin?
Lumbar nerves
Which nerves supply the posterior part of scrotal skin?
Sacral nerves
What is the contents of the spermatic cord?
Testicular, cremasteric and ductus deferens arteries and veins, T10-11 sympathetic nerves and genital branch of genitofemoral and ilioinguinal nerves. As well as the ductus deferens, lymphatics and processus vaginalis remnant (fibrous cord)
What are the fascial layers of the spermatic cord?
External spermatic, cremasteric and internal spermatic formed of external and internal oblique abdominis and transversalis fascia respectively
Which nerves maintain an erection?
Parasympathetic outflow from S2-4 pelvic splanchnic nerves.
What are the stages of ejaculation and which nerves control these?
SM in walls of vasa deferentia and epididymis contracts rhythmically and peristaltically to move spermatozoa into prosthetic urethra via T10-L2 sympathetics.
Internal urethra sphincter closes to prevent reflux of semen. Ejection involves contraction of skeletal muscles to pump semen down the urethra.
Which nerves control touch and general sense of penis?
Somatic pudendals S2-4
Where does lymph from tests, epididymis and ductus deferens drain?
To pre aortic nodes around the origin of testicular arteries
How does spermatozoa reach the corpus spongiosum from the testes?
Travels along epididymis then ductus deferens to the prostate gland. Here it is joined by the duct from the seminal vesicles which brings fructose rich alkaline secretion, the prostate adds citric acid and acid phosphate rich secretion. Then from here it enters the prostatic urethra to the membraneous and finally spongy urethra.