Female Reproductive System Anatomy: Acland's Videos

Recommended Reading

Read pages 815-818 in Silverthorn, focusing on figure 26.9a and 26.9b. 

Description

For our study of female reproductive anatomy, we will look at two videos from Acland's Video Atlas of Anatomy that show the internal reproductive structures. Note that the view of the uterus inside the body is quite different than what is shown in figure 26.9a.  The uterus usually tips forward over the bladder, and is contained within a sheet of peritoneum called the broad ligament.  The uterus has three parts:  the fundus, the body, and the cervix.  The fundus is the part of the uterus that curves up between the uterine tubes.  The body is the main part of the uterus.  The cervix (cervix means "neck") is the part of the uterus that protrudes into the upper part of the vagina. The structure of the cervix is critical to maintaining a pregnancy to full term.

The female gonad is the ovary.  Each ovary is attached to the side of the uterus by an ovarian ligament, and can really only be seen from the posterior side of the broad ligament.  In ovulation, an egg is released to the peritoneal cavity, and needs to be transported to the uterus via the uterine tube (also called the Fallopian tube or oviduct).  The distal ends of the uterine tubes have many fingerlike projections called fimbriae that envelop the ovary and make sure that the egg gets swept into the uterine tube, where fertilization occurs.  The fertilized embryo then moves slowly (it takes about a week) to the uterus, where it implants into the wall of the uterus to begin development.  

The videos contain more detail and terminology than I expect you to learn for this class. You are required only to identify the terms listed below in purple boldface. The links to the videos will open in a new tab.