Female Reproductive Tract Anatomy Flashcards
What are the components of the female reproductive tract?
- Paired gonads (ovaries) - Paired oviducts (=/~ fallopian tubes) - Uterus: uterine horns, uterine body, cervix - Vagina (repro) - Vestibule (repro + urinary) - Vulva
What are the 2 functions of the ovaries?
- Produce gametes 2. Produce hormones
What is meant by ‘monovular’?
Ovulates a single oocyte (derived from a single egg/ovum) –>Polyovular - ovulates >1 oocyte
Outline the structure of the ovaries
- Outer cortex (follicles and corpora lutea) - Central medulla (blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, CT)
What consists of the ovarian parenchyma?
- Follicles 2. Interstitial cell types
Outline the continuum of follicular development.
- Primordial follicles 2. Primary follicle 3. Secondary follicle 4. Tertiary follicle –> Tertiary (Graafian) follicle –> Rupture of follicle –> C. luteum –> C. albicans
What is indicative of a primary follicle (in outer cortex of ovary)?
- Onset of follicular maturation
- Flattened cells become cuboidal epithelium (granulosa cells)
- Zona pellucida (ZP) becomes visible = glycoprotein coat surrounding oocyte designed to prevent polyspermy
What is indicative of a secondary follice (found in cortex of ovary)
- Follicles with stratified epithelium, enclosing oocytes with a distinct Zona Pellucia
- Small fluid-filled spaces become visible btw granulosa cells (cuboidal epithelium) –> Spaces fuse to form antrum
- Thecal cells (theca=cup) = epithelial cells outside. Form a wall around follicles start to produce oestrogens
What are some features of tertiary follicles (in cortex of ovary)?
- Follicular epithelium produces fluid
- Forms ANTRUM
Tertiary (Graafian) Follicle
- Increases further in size
- Oocyte floats in antrum
- ~12 hrs before ovulation –> stigma forms –> follicle ruptures (stigma and oocyte released)
Key changes following a follicle rupture (outer cortex of ovary)?
- Empty follicle filled with blood
- Wall collapses & folds
- Cell luteinization & proliferation occurs
(Corpus luteum forms through vascularisation, follicular cell hypertrophy, lipid accumulation, endocrine organ - progesterone) - Corpus albicans
(scar from old CL, “white body”)
What are the 3 tunics of the female genital tract?
- Mucosal tunic (inner) - forms longitudinal folds in oviduct & non-gravid uterus
- Muscular tunic (middle tunic) - 2 muscle layers:
- inner circular and
- outer longitudinal layer
(separated by highly vascular layer) - Serosal (adventitial) tunic - composed of peritoneum, covering surface of oviduct, uterus and part of vagina
What is the structure and function of the Infundibulum?
- Thin-walled funnel, cranial extremity oviduct
- Free-edge of funnel (fibriae) come into contact with ovary
- Captures Ovum
What is the structure and function of the Oviduct? (including layers)
- Narrow, flexuous tube
- Fertilisation occurs in oviduct
- Joins apex of horn of uterus at uterotubal junction
3 layers:
- Serosa: lines the surface
- Muscularis: responsible for movement of sperma & ova
- Mucosa: folded, dividing the lumen into complex shape
- Mucosal folds decrease in complexity distal to the ovary
What are the components of the uterus?
- Uterine horns
- Body
- Cervix
- Endometrium (mucosal layer): uterine glands
- -> ruminants have caruncles for embryo attachment
- Myometrium (fibromuscular layer)
What makes up the cervix?
- Mucous secreting cells - produce material that hardens/seals off uterus
- Cervical wall - very muscular & capable of contraction
What makes up a placentome?
Caruncle (M) + Cotelydon (F)
A zonary placenta would be found in what animals?
- Carnivores
- Attachments occur along a central band surrounding the embryo
- Maternal epithelial & connective tissue layers are destroyed during implantation
What animals would you find have a diffuse placenta?
Sow, horse (mare)
- Areolae: shallow, cup-shaped indentations in the chorion.
Circular spaces between chorionic surfaces and endometrium.
Uterine milk is released. - Occur opposite uterine endometrial glands
- Chorionic epithelial cells lining areolae absorb glandular secretions
- Surface area of maternal-foetal interface is increased by microcotyledons (F) and crypts (M) associated with villi.
What is the structure of the mammary glands?
- Modified & enlarged sweat glands
- Develop as mammary buds along mammary ridges in embryo.
Consists of:
Glandular tissue - parenchyma
Fatty infiltrates
Fibrous tissue framework
Multiple mammary glands (or single complex e.g. udder)
Each gland has a branching duct system
Glandular tissue divided into lobules by CT
Lobules consist of alveoli (functional unit)
Outline the comparative anatomy of mammary glands.
Cow
- Location = “Inguinal” (caudal abdomen, cranial pelvis)
- Each gland has its own independent duct system, draining to a teat
- Each teat has a single opening
- Suspensory apparatus
- Udder can be very heavy during lactation
- Suspensory apparatus supports the udder
- Each gland (quarter) is suspended by:
Medial lamina (**Most important)
Lateral lamina
Small Ruminants
- Very similar to cow, except:
- 2 mammary glands
- Accessory teats are common
- Milk veins are less prominent
Carnivore
Number of mammary glands:
- Bitch - 4 – 6 pairs of mammary glands (usually 5 pairs)
- Queen - 4 pairs of mammary glands
Location:
- Thoracic, abdominal, inguinal
Number of teat ducts:
- Bitch - 8 – 20
- Queen - 4 – 7
Glands enlarge during pregnancy & lactation
Become swollen & pendulous
Mares
- 2 mammary glands form the udder (R & L halves)
- Each mammary gland drains through 2 teat openings at a single teat
- Therefore mare has 4 mammary “quarters” like a cow, but only 2 teats (each with two canals)
- Composition similar for cow, but relatively smaller
Pig
- 7 – 8 pairs of mammary glands along ventral trunk (thoracic – inguinal regions)
- Each gland drains into a teat via 2 openings
