Female Anatomy Lecture Notes

Question 1

What are the basic components of the female reproductive system?

Answer 1

Ovaries, oviducts, uterus, cervix, vagina, external genitalia, mammary gland

Question 2

Name the species adjective, male, female, and young names for cattle, horse, sheep, goat, pig, dog, cat, and chicken

Answer 2

Cattle: bovine, bull, cow, calf
Horse: equine, stallion, mare, foal
Sheep: ovine, ram, ewe, lamb
Goat: caprine, buck, doe, kid
Pig: swine, boar, sow, piglet
Dog: canine, dog, bitch, pup
Cat: feline, tom, queen, kitten
Chicken: avian, rooster, hen, chick

Question 3

Why is the body of the uterus relatively short in cows?

Answer 3

Fusion of the medial walls of the uterine horns

Question 4

What does the broad ligament do?

Answer 4

It connects the uterus and ovary to the dorsal wall, and provides support for the female reproductive organs and maintains their spatial relationship with each other

Question 5

What are the three different parts of the broad ligament?

Answer 5

Mesometrium supports the uterus. Mesovarium supports the ovary. Mesosalpinx supports the uterine tube.

Question 6

What supplies blood flow to the uterus?

Answer 6

The uterine artery, which travels within the broad ligament

Question 7

In what species is the uterine artery intimately associated with the utero-ovarian vein, and in what species is it not?

Answer 7

It is in ruminants, but not in horses.

Question 8

Describe the shape of the mare reproductive system

Answer 8

T-shaped; has the greatest degree of fusion of uterine horns to form a uterine body. No distinct intercornual ligament.

Question 9

Describe the shape of the sow reproductive system

Answer 9

Relatively long uterine horns and a short uterine body

Question 10

Describe the structure and location of the ovary

Answer 10

Primary female reproductive organ; bilateral; round/oval; firm; located in the abdominal cavity

Question 11

Describe the function(s) of the ovary

Answer 11

Produces the female gamete (egg or ovum) and the hormones estrogen and progesterone

Question 12

Name the layers of the ovary from outermost to innermost

Answer 12

Surface epithelium, tunica albuginea, cortex, medulla

Question 13

Describe the surface epithelium of the ovary

Answer 13

Outermost surface layer, made of flattened epithelium

Question 14

Describe the tunica albuginea

Answer 14

Second-from-outermost layer, made of dense connective tissue

Question 15

Describe the cortex of the ovary

Answer 15

Houses the functional units of the ovary (follicules and corpora lutea).

Question 16

Describe the medulla of the ovary

Answer 16

Innermost region and consists of irregularly arranged fibroelastic connective tissue and extensive nervous and vascular systems that reach the ovary through the hilus.

Question 17

Name and describe the layers of the tubular structures of the reproductive tract, from innermost to outermost

Answer 17

Mucosa (epithelial lining; varies depending on region); Submucosa (layer just above the mucosa; thickness varies depending on region); muscularis (smooth muscle tissue layer; outer longitudinal and inner circular layers); serosa (outer layer; single layer of squamous cells)

Question 18

What is the oviduct?

Answer 18

Also called the uterine tube or salpinx, it’s a coiled tubular sturcture which extends from the ovaries to the uterus.

Question 19

What are the three segments of the oviduct?

Answer 19

Infundibulum (funnel-shaped abdominal opening near the ovary, lined with fimbriae); ampulla (thick-dilated and longest portion); isthmus (connected directly to the uterus and forms utero-tubal junction (UTJ)

Question 20

How does the UTJ differ in mares, sows, cows, and ewes?

Answer 20

In mares: small papilla-like structure
In sows: long finger-like mucosal processes
In cows and ewes: flexure/kink, especially during estrus

Question 21

Describe the histology of the oviduct

Answer 21

Mucosa is lined by ciliated and secretory columnar epithelium, and made of primary, secondary, and tertiary folds. The height of the mucosal folds decreases whereas the thickness of the muscularis gradually increases from ovarian to uterine end.

Question 22

Describe the structure of the uterus

Answer 22

Two folded/convoluted uterine horns and a body; connects the oviduct to the cervix

Question 23

Describe the functions of the uterus

Answer 23

Facilitates sperm transport; regulates the function of the corpus luteum (luteolysis); nurtures the embryo and initiates its implantation; participates in placentation; maintains pregnancy; supports fetal growth; facilitates parturition (labor)

Question 24

Describe the histology of the uterus

Answer 24

The endometrium is the innermost layer, and is made up of mucosa (simple columnar epithelium), submucosa (cells of mesenchymal origin), and endometrial glands, which are embedded within the stromal compartment and open into the uterine lumen. The myometrium (middle layer) is made up of two distinct smooth muscle layers (longitudinal and circular). The perimetrium is the outer serosal layer.

Question 25

Describe the structure of the cervix

Answer 25

Firm, muscular, sphincter-like structure located between the uterus and the vagina. Has an internal os and external os, and the passage between the two is called the endocervical canal.

Question 26

Describe the functions of the cervix

Answer 26

Serves as a barrier between the internal and external genitalia; facilitates sperm transport; acts as a sperm reservoir; is a passage for fetal expulsion during parturition; produces copious amounts of thin-watery mucus during estrus due to the influence of high estrogen; forms cervical deal of pregnancy

Question 27

What are the differences in cervical anatomy between cows, ewes, mares, sows, bitches, and queens?

Answer 27

Cows and ewes have cervical rings, mares have cervical folds, sows have interdigitating prominences, and bitches and queens have smooth cervixes.

Question 28

Describe the histology of the cervix

Answer 28

The cervical mucosal surface is made up of crypts and folds which are lined by simple columnar and ciliated columnar epithelium

Question 29

Describe the structure of the vagina

Answer 29

A copulatory organ; the region between the cervix and external genitalia. The protrusion of the external os of the cervix

Question 30

Desccribe the histology of the vagina

Answer 30

The cranial vagina is predominantly lined by columnar epithelium, and the caudal vagina is predominantly lined by stratified squamous epithelium. Thickness and secretory activity are influenced by hormonal changes.

Question 31

Describe the components of the external genitalia in females.

Answer 31

The vulva is the external part of the female reproductive tract, and consists of two vulvar lips (the labia majora and the labia minora) which meet dorsally and ventrally to form commissures. The clitoris is the female homologue of the penis. The perineum is the region surrounding the anus and vulva. There's also the vestibule and vestibular glands.

Question 32

What is unique about the female avian reproductive system? (hint: left side vs. right side, also what's different about the ovary)

Answer 32

Only the left oviduct and ovary are functional. The right are suppressed during development and are non-functional in adult life. The ovary is less an ovary and more a cluster of developing ova.

Question 33

How is the oviduct different in avian species?

Answer 33

It has five functionally distinct components: the infundibulum (acts to engulf the ovulated ovum and is the site of fertilization); the magnum (longest; albumen-secreting region); the isthmus (shortest; forms shell membrane around the developing egg); the shell gland (referred to as the uterus); and the vagina (serves as passage for the egg).