Female Repro II: Oviducts, Uterus, Vagina, Breasts

Question 1

What are the four anatomical subdivisions of the oviducts?

Answer 1

Infundibulum (fimbriae around the opening); ampulla (longest porter); isthmus (straight portion between ampulla and uterus); intramural part (goes through uterine wall)

Question 2

What are the three layers of the oviduct?

Answer 2

Inner mucosa, middle muscularis, outer serosa

Question 3

What is an ectopic pregnancy?

Answer 3

Fertilized embryo implanting in the oviduct mucosa!

Question 4

What happens if no one intervenes with ectopic pregnancy?

Answer 4

1. Placena erodes the large bv’s
2. Embryo ruptures the oviduct
3. Lethal hemorrhaging

Question 5

What structures make up the oviduct mucosa?

Answer 5

1. Mucosal folds (fill a lot of oviduct lumen) 2. Mucosal epi (simple columnar epi with ciliated cells and secretory cells) 3. Lamina propria (cellular, vascularized CT, with some smooth muscle in fimbriae)

Question 6

Where are the mucosal folds most elaborate? Simple?

Answer 6

Ampulla; intramural part

Question 7

What are four characteristics of the ciliated cells in the oviduct mucosa?

Answer 7

1. Pale eosinophilic cytoplasm 2. Euchromatic basal nucleus 3. Apical cilia 4. Darkly staining basal bodies at cilia base

Question 8

How do secretory cells differ from ciliated cells in oviduct mucosa?

Answer 8

Darker staining due to secretory products; also called PEG cells; SECRETIONS nourish and protect gametes/embryos and capacitate sperm activation

Question 9

What does estrogen stimulate in the ciliated and secretory cell types?

Answer 9

cilia elongation, secretion by secretory cells, hypertrophy of both of these cell types

Question 10

What does the oviduct muscularis consist of? What are its three main functions?

Answer 10

Smooth muscle and some CT, thickening from the infundibulum towards the uterus;

1. bends infundibulum to the ovary
2. sweep fimbriae over the ovary surface
3. Peristaltic contractions (move embryo towards uterus)

Question 11

What is the oviduct serosa? What covers it?

Answer 11

Well-vascularized loose CT;

Simple squamous to cuboidal mesothelium

Question 12

What are the three layers of the uterus?

Answer 12

The inner endometrium, middle myometrium, outer perimetrium (epimetrium)

Question 13

What helps make up the endometrium structurally (3 things)?

Answer 13

Stroma (CT, type III collagen fibers, fibroblasts); surface epi (simple columnar, sometimes there); uterine glands (simple tubular; simple columnar secretory cells continuous with surface epi)

Question 14

What is the circulation of the endometrium?

Answer 14

Spiral arteries to upper endometrium (functional layer); straight arteries to the lower endometrium (basal layer)

Question 15

What causes loss and regrowth of the functional layer of the endometrium?

Answer 15

Changes in ovarian hormones through menstrual cycle

Question 16

What are the three recognized uterine phases?

Answer 16

Menstrual, proliferative, secretory

Question 17

During menstrual phase, what happens to endometrium given progesterone loss (2 things)

Answer 17

Constriction of the SPIRAL arteries and hypoxia of functional layer! Menses (sloughing of the functional layer)

Question 18

During proliferative phase, what does estrogen do to stroma and gland cells? What happens to spiral arteries during this phase?

Answer 18

Uterine gland secretory cells help regen surface epi;
stroma thickens (basal layer fibroblasts replicate, EC material made);
Grow into the reformed functional layer and gives off arteries

Question 19

How are the proliferative and menstrual phase different histologically?

Answer 19

Former has thicker endometrium and longer glands (straight and narrow)

Question 20

In the secretory phase, what hormone promotes activity? What activity exactly regarding secretory cells?

Answer 20

Progesterone; secretory cell hypertrophy (uterine glands coil), secretory cell secretory activity (glycogen-rich product with apocrine, glycoprotein-rich product with merocrine); also nutrition source for embryo prior to and during implantation (leads to dilated uterine glands)

Question 21

What is the blood flow for the secretory phase endometrium in case of pregnancy or implantation?

Answer 21

Thin-walled vascular lacunae develop and fill with blood;

spiral arteries prominent

Question 22

What is the source of endometriosis?

Answer 22

Endometrium sloughed off from menses goes through oviducts into peritoneal cavity (endometrial stromal and parenchymal cells)

Question 23

Where can endometrial stromal and parenchymal cells head after endometriosis?

Answer 23

Ovaries, outer surface of oviduct or uterus, broad ligament, colon, rectouterine pouch, rectal sheath

Question 24

What are consequences of endometriosis, knowing that endometrial tissue remains hormone sensitive?

Answer 24

Pain, inflame, formation of adhesions between the organs and wall of the peritoneal cavity; 
CHOCOLATE cyst (tunica albuginea invaded, brown color of accumulated blood)

Question 25

What is the thickest layer of the uterine wall? How does this change during pregnancy? How do you revert the changes?

Answer 25

Myometrium; hyperplasia, hypertrophy, increased collagen production by smooth muscle cells; Apoptosis and atrophy of the SM cells; collagen removal

Question 26

What can occur in the myometrium (benign)?

Answer 26

Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids): benign smooth muscle tumors

Question 27

When is the perimetrium serosa vs adventitia?

Answer 27

Serosa when exposed to the peritoneal cavity; adventitia where not exposed (both with loose CT, former continuous with broad ligament)

Question 28

In the uterine cervix, what are three components of the cervical mucosa?

Answer 28

1. Mucosal epi (simple columnar with mucous secretory cells) 2. Cervical glands (long branching tubular glands) 3. Secretes MUCUS

Question 29

What can happen is the cervical gland ducts are occluded?

Answer 29

Nabothian cysts: secretory product accumulating in plugged ducts

Question 30

What is the cervical wall made up of?

Answer 30

Dense CT with little smooth muscle

Question 31

What is the external os? What does it have? What can this particular area's scrapings?

Answer 31

``` Cervix protrudes into superior portion of vagina; Transformation zone (between cervical simple columnar mucosal epi and stratified squamous mucosal epi of vagina) Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) ```

Question 32

In the vaginal mucosa, what is the structure of the epi and what is accumulated? What can infiltrate the mucosa?

Answer 32

Stratified squamous non-keratinized; glycogen (fermented to lactic acid to inhibit infectious agents); Lymphocytes and neutrophils

Question 33

In the mucosa of the vagina, what is the lamina propria enriched in?

Answer 33

Well-vascularized, elastic fibers, lymphocytes and neutrophils

Question 34

Although nipple and areola are highly pigmented, when does this increase? What allows nipples to become erect? What underlies the areola?

Answer 34

Puberty; radial and circumferential smooth muscle fibers in underlying DICT Sebaceous glands, sweat glands, glands of Montgomery

Question 35

What is the breast made up of in terms of glands?

Answer 35

Mammary glands (modded apocrine sweat glands, compound tubuloalveolar glands)

Question 36

How many breast lobes are present per breast? What do they drain into? What do the lactiferous ducts subdivide to and form?

Answer 36

15-20; lactiferous ducts and lactiferous sinus at the nipple; interlobular/extralobular ducts, terminating at the breast lobules

Question 37

Which part of the breast lobule has the intralobular ducts and secretory elements? What separates the breast lobules?

Answer 37

LC tissue stroma; DICT stroma, some adipocytes

Question 38

How is a terminal duct lobular unit defiend?

Answer 38

Breast lobule and its associated interlobular duct

Question 39

Before puberty what is the same of breasts in both genders?

Answer 39

Lactiferous sinuses near nipple; small branching ducts

Question 40

What changes during puberty for girls (3)?

Answer 40

1. Estrogen stims breast enlargement 2. duct system elongates 3. adipose and CT accumulate

Question 41

In the inactive adult breast, where do you find the myoepithelial cells? Are there secretions?

Answer 41

Between the basement membrane and the duct epi (wraps around the duct epi); LITTLE TO NONE!!

Question 42

Why does the parenchyma grow during pregnancy in the breast? What happens to the stroma?

Answer 42

Estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, placental lactogen; | stroma DECREASES!!!

Question 43

From the first half of pregnancy to the second half, what forms at duct ends and how does the epi change?

Answer 43

End buds; go from stratified cuboidal to simple cuboidal (end buds hollow-out to form alveoli)

Question 44

In the first half of pregnancy, which cells proliferate?

Answer 44

Intralobular duct cells

Question 45

In the second half of pregnancy, what accumulates?

Answer 45

Fat and protein droplets in the alveolar epi cells (lipid droplet could be pale)

Question 46

In the lactating breast, what is characteristic of the cytoplasm, lipid droplet, and function of alveolar epi cells?

Answer 46

Basophilic; pale apical cytoplasmic; produce colostrum/milk

Question 47

How is colostrum different than milk? What does one of its components provide the newborn?

Answer 47

Higher protein, more vit A, more Ab's; lower carbs, lipid; | passive immunity due to IgA production by plasma cells

Question 48

How does milk release protein and fat?

Answer 48

Merocrine secretion; apocrine secretion

Question 49

What happens at menopause to breast?

Answer 49

Atrophy of breast parenchyma (lose alveoli); stroma reduced

Question 50

How does breast cancer most frequently arise?

Answer 50

Terminal duct lobular unit