{"id":72,"date":"2015-12-08T21:02:19","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T21:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/?page_id=72"},"modified":"2023-08-20T21:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T21:58:39","slug":"1-03-internal-genitalia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/lessons\/lesson-1-the-reproductive-systems\/section-i-the-female-reproductive-system\/1-03-internal-genitalia\/","title":{"rendered":"1-03. INTERNAL GENITALIA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>a.<strong> Uterus or Womb.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(1) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Description\/information<\/span>. The uterus is a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped\u00a0organ. It is located in the pelvic cavity between the urinary bladder and the rectum.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/111931579\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"adx_native_ad_110653\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">During a woman&#8217;s child-bearing years, the uterus is about 7.5 centimeters long, 5\u00a0centimeters wide, and 2.5 centimeters thick.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The uterus has three anatomical divisions:\u00a0the fundus, the body, and the cervix. The fundus is the upper, convex part of the\u00a0uterus. This part is just above the entrance to the uterine tubes. The body is the central\u00a0portion of the uterus, and the cervix is the lower, neck-like part of the uterus.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(2) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Walls<\/span>. The walls of the uterus are made up of three layers: the\u00a0endometrium, the myometrium, and the parietal peritoneum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The endometrium, the\u00a0inner layer, attaches itself to the myometrium layer and lines the uterus. This layer is\u00a0sloughed off during menstruation or post- delivery.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The middle layer, which is\u00a0composed of smooth muscle, is the myometrium. This layer is made up of longitudinal,\u00a0circular, and spiral muscular fiber which interlaces. \u00a0The myometrium is thickest in the\u00a0fundus and thinnest in the cervix. During childbirth, this muscle layer is capable of the\u00a0very powerful contractions necessary for a normal birth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The third layer, the parietal\u00a0peritoneum, is the outer layer which is a serous membrane. This outer layer of uterine\u00a0wall is incomplete, covering only part of the uterine body and none of the uterine cervix.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(3) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Functions.<\/span> The uterus has three major functions which occur during\u00a0these events: pregnancy, labor, and menstruation. During pregnancy, the uterus holds\u00a0the fertilized ovum. The ovum is deposited in the uterus where it grows and develops\u00a0through the embryo and fetal stages. During the birth process, the uterus produces\u00a0powerful contractions to expel the mature infant. And, finally, during a female&#8217;s\u00a0menstrual phase, the inside lining of the uterus detaches and sloughs off, the uterus\u00a0expelling its fluid contents.<\/p>\n<p>b. <strong>Uterine Tubes, Fallopian Tubes, or Oviducts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(1) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Description\/information<\/span>. These tubes are known by all three names\u00a0listed above. The name commonly used is fallopian tubes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">These two tubes extend\u00a0from the ovaries to the uterus. An ovum discharged from an ovary passes through one\u00a0of these tubes to the uterus. Each tube is about 10 centimeters long (4 inches). The\u00a0tube is located between the folds of the broad ligaments of the uterus. The tubes are\u00a0attached to the uterus at one end but not attached to the ovaries at the other end. At\u00a0the ovary end, the tubes are open, funnel-shaped, and close to the ovary. The funnel shaped\u00a0ends of the tubes are called the infundibulum, and the fringe or finger-like\u00a0processes at the tube ends are called fimbriae.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(2) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Functions<\/span>. The uterine tubes are ducts for the ovaries although the\u00a0tubes are not attached to the ovaries. Additionally, the tubes are the site of fertilization.\u00a0Fertilization normally takes place in the outer one-third of the tube.<\/p>\n<p>c.<strong> Ovaries.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(1)<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> Description\/information.<\/span> The ovaries are two almond-shaped glands.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">They are located on either side of the uterus, below and behind the uterine tubes. The\u00a0ovaries are detached from the uterine tubes and held in position by a series of\u00a0ligaments.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">During the second phase (preovulatory phase) of the menstrual cycle, one\u00a0of the 20 to 25 primary follicles developed during the menstrual phase matures into a\u00a0Graafian follicle, a follicle ready for ovulation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">During the maturation process, this follicle\u00a0increases its estrogen production. The rupture of the Graafian follicle with the release\u00a0of the ovum is the beginning of ovulation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(2) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Functions<\/span>. One function of the ovaries is to produce ova (female\u00a0reproductive cells capable of developing, after fertilization, into new individuals). Also,\u00a0the ovaries discharge ova (ovulation) and secrete the female sex hormones\u00a0progesterone, estrogen, and relaxin. The ovaries in the female correspond to the testes\u00a0in the male reproductive system.<\/p>\n<p>d. <strong>Vagina<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(1) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Description\/information<\/span>. The vagina is a muscular, tubular organ lined\u00a0with mucous membrane. This organ is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long and\u00a0extends from the hymen to the cervix. The vagina extends upward and backward\u00a0between the rectum and the bladder and is attached to the uterus.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(2) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Structure<\/span>. The lining of the vagina is made up of smooth muscle which\u00a0is longitudinally and circularly arranged in many folds called rugae. The folds of the\u00a0lining permit the organ to expand when necessary. The hymen is the fold of mucous\u00a0membrane at the orifice (opening) of the vagina.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">(3) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Functions<\/span>. The vagina serves as a passageway for menstrual flow,\u00a0receives seminal fluid from the male, and serves as the lower part of the birth canal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>a. Uterus or Womb. (1) Description\/information. The uterus is a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped\u00a0organ. It is located in the pelvic cavity between the urinary bladder and the rectum. During a woman&#8217;s child-bearing years, the uterus is about 7.5 centimeters long, 5\u00a0centimeters wide, and 2.5 centimeters thick. The uterus has three anatomical divisions:\u00a0the fundus, the body, and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/lessons\/lesson-1-the-reproductive-systems\/section-i-the-female-reproductive-system\/1-03-internal-genitalia\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">1-03. INTERNAL GENITALIA<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":22,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-72","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":519,"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions\/519"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooksidepress.org\/ob-ped\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}