Female Reproductive II: Oviducts, Uterus, Vagina and Breasts Flashcards
(43 cards)
Which part of the oviduct is open to the peritoneal space and its opening is decorated with fimbriae?
infundibulum
Which is the longest portion of the oviduct?
ampulla
The oviduct has three layers: inner mucosa, middle muscularis, and outer serosa. Describe the epithelium found in the oviduct mucosa as well as the two types of cells found here.
The oviduct mucosa has a mucosal epithelium which is simple, columnar, ciliated epithelium with 2 cell types
1) ciliated cells -MOTILE cilia that sweep the embryo toward the uterus
2) secretory (peg) cells - produce secretions that nourish & protect gametes or embryos and CAPACITATE sperm
What is estrogen’s effects on the ciliated and secretory cells (the 2 cell types found on the mucosal epithelium lining the inner mucosa of oviduct)?
estrogen causes hypertrophy of ciliated and secretory cells, lengthening of cilia and increase in secretion
The oviduct has three layers: inner mucosa, middle muscularis, and outer serosa. Explain the layers found in the middle muscularis layer.
- bundles of smooth muscle with intermingled some CT
- thick circularly-oriented inner layer
- thinner longitudinally-oriented outer layer
- thickens and becomes better defined from infundibulum toward isthmus.
The oviduct has three layers: inner mucosa, middle muscularis, and outer serosa. What are the 3 functions of the middle muscularis layer?
- contractions bend the infundibulum close to ovary and
- sweep the fimbriae over the ovary surface to capture the oocyte complex
- peristaltic contractions propel the fertilized embryo toward the uterus
The oviduct has three layers: inner mucosa, middle muscularis, and outer serosa. Describe the oviduct serosa layer. What is it continuous with? what does the oviduct serosa provide for oviduct?
The oviduct serosa is highly vascular, loose CT covered by simple mesothelium. It provides blood and nerve supply for oviduct.
It is continuous with broad ligament that connects the sides of the uterus to the walls and floor of the pelvis.
What is ectopic pregnancy?
When a fertilized embryo is unable to reach uterus and implants in the OVIDUCT MUCOSA. The developing placenta may erode the lining of thick blood vessels of the oviduct serosa.
Most of the time, what type of epithelium lines the endometrium?
simple, columnar epithelium
Describe the uterine glands found in the endometrium of the uterus.
simple, tubular glands lined by simple columnar secretory cells
The endometrium can be divided into upper functional layer and lower basal layer. Describe the arterial supply to these layers.
Upper functional layer undergoes dramatic changes thru out menstrual cycle and is supplied by the SPIRAL ARTERIES.
Lower basal layer remains constant over time and is perfused by STRAIGHT ARTERIES.
What in the functional layer provides blood supply to nourish the embryo immediately after implantation?
thin-walled vascular lacunae provide blood supply immediately after implantation.
During menstrual phase, what is happening to the spiral arteries?
Lack of progesterone will cause the spiral arteries to constrict, which will interrupt blood flow to functional layer. Hypoxia and secondary damage trigger functional layer loss. The straight arteries are not affected.
During proliferative phase, which hormone plays the major role in triggering proliferation in basal layer as well as generation of new functional layer?
estrogen
Describe the histology of the uterine glands thru menstrual, proliferative and secretory phases.
1) menstrual - bases of uterine glands are present in basal layer and lined by secretory cells forming a simple columnar epithelium. Uterine glands appear parallel to lumen surface.
2) proliferative (stimulated by estrogen) - uterine glands are long, straight and narrow thru functional layer (MITOTIC PROFILES!!!)
3) secreotry (stimualted by progesterone) - uterine gland secretory cells undergo hypertrophy causing COILING of the glands (will secrete glycogen and glycoprotein-rich products)
The uterine glands of the secretory phase secrete glycogen and glycoprotein-rich products. Explain the mechanism of secretions.
1) glycogen is thru apocrine secretion
2) glycoproteins thru merocrine secretion
At which phase of the menstrual cycle will one NOT see the simple columnar surface epithelium.
menstrual phase
proliferative and secretory will have a simple columnar epithelium
uterine gland secretions nourish the embryo until implantation. After implantation, what occurs to provide nourishment for growing embryo’?
the trophoblast degrades walls of the vascular lacunae bathing embryo in maternal blood. The trophoblast cells also produce hCG.
the trophoblast forms the chorion (embryonic portion of placenta) while part of endometrium forms maternal portion of placenta. Finger-like chorion projections (chorionic villi) are invaded by fetal blood vessels allow exchange of nutrients, oxygen and wastes btw fetal and maternal blood.
fetal blood in capillaries and sinusoids are separated from spaces containing maternal blood by only a thin wall of?
syncytiotrophoblasts
What is endometriosis/?
pathological condition in which endometrial stromal and glandular cells colonize outside the uterus (ovaries, outer surfaces of uterus or oviducts, broad ligament, colon, rectouterine puch, rectal sheath).
this occurs when endometrial tissue sloughed during menses moves retrograde thru oviducts into peritoneal cavity
the explanted endometrial tissue remains hormone-sensitive; will grow and degrade/bleed thrru menstrual cycle.
-inflammation, pain, formation of scar tissue (adhesions btw organs)
In the particular case of endometriosis when endometrial tissue infiltrates the ovary surface, blood can be trapped beneath the tunica albuginea, forming what types of cysts?
large chocolate cysts (brown color of accumulated blood)
Which is the thickest portion of the uterus? What’s progesterone’s effects here? What happens to this layer during pregnancy?
myometrium
-progesterone inhibits smooth muscle contractions to increase the successful implantation during secretory uterine phase. During pregnancy, the smooth muscle undergoes hyperplasia and hypertrophy, and sythesizes collagen fibers. The vasculature of myometrium also increases
What are uterine leiomyomas (fibroids)?
- benign tumors of smooth muscle
- appear in one out of 4 women
- grow in response to estrogen, and during pregnancy
- generally asymptomatic
Describe the epimetrium/perimetrium of uterus.
thin layer of loose CT covered in most places by simple, squamous mesothelium
-continuous with broad ligament and is highly vascular
