ANATOMY OF FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE

SYSTEM

TABIBA NADIA NASEEM

LECTURER
FACULTY OF EASTERN
MEDICINE
HAMDARD UNIVERSITY
 GENITAL TRACT

The Female Genital tract is described under the

following headings :

Vulva
Vagina
Uterus
Fallopian tubes
ovaries
 WHAT IS VULVA?

The external genitalia are collectively known as vulva.

The vulva or pudendum includes the following parts:

 Mons's pubis
 Labia majora
 Labia minora
 Clitoris
 Vestibule
 Perineum
 Bartholin glands
 Vestibular bulbs
 Hymen ( unmarried women)
 MONS'S PUBIS
 Fibro fatty tissue covered by skin,
lies Infront of the bodies of pubic
bones and symphysis pubis

 Mons is covered with hair. These

hair are short, curved and distributed
in an inverted triangular area
 The skin contains glands and hair
follicles. It contains sebaceous
glands, sweat gland and hair
follicles.
 The sweat glands are of two types
 Apocrine glands
 Eccrine glands are ordinary glands
 Apocrine glands are specialized
glands found only in the region of
the vulva, axillae and around the
nipples. The secretions of these
glands have a characteristic odor.
 LABIA MAJORA
 Two folds of fibro fatty
tissues surrounding the
vaginal opening
 The skin of the outer
part of the labia majora
is like that of the mons
pubis but the inner part
is devoid of hair
 They contain numerous
sweat and sebaceous
glands
 LABIA MINORA

 Are two small delicate vascular fold

of skin
 Each fold lies on the medial side of
the labium majus
 The two labia minora join anteriorly
in the midline but both split up
before their junction.
 The anterior fold of the split forms
the prepuce
 The posterior folds forms the
frenulum of the clitoris
 Posteriorly the labia minora become
less conspicuous and join in the
midline to form the fourchette which
forms the posterior margin of the
vaginal orifice
 CLITORIS
 It’s an erectile rudimentary
organ
 It is attached to the pubic bones
by a suspensory ligaments
 It lies hidden in the folds of
labia majora Infront of the
lower part of the symphysis
pubis.
 It contains of glans, a body and
two crura ( corpora cavernosa)
 It’s a vascular organ with a rich
nerve supply
 The terminal branch of the
pudendal nerve supplies clitoris
and urethra
 Most sensitive part of the vulva
during sexual arousal
 VESTIBULE

 It is a smooth skinned
triangular area which is the
cleft between the labia
minora and the hymen
 In it opens the vagina,
external urethral meatus and
the duct of skene tubules
 Ducts of the Bartholin
glands open in the
posterolateral part of the
introitus
 PERINEUM

 It’s a small area of shining and smooth skin which lies between
the anus and the fourchette
 It is usually 3-4cm in length
 BARTHOLIN GLANDS

 Are also called as greater vestibular

glands
 Two in numbers lying in the
posterolateral part of the introitus
 Each gland is a pea size( 10mm)
 Lie at the base of the vestibular
blubs
 Ducts are 2cm in long and open
into the posterolateral part of the
vestibule between the hymen and
posterior part of the labium minus
 The glands are not palpable unless
they are pathologically enlarged
 VESTIBULAR BULBS

 They are two in numbers, one on

each side of the vaginal opening
 Made up of vascular connective
tissues and rich venous plexus
TYPES OF HYMEN
ANATOMY OF INTERNAL
GENITALIA
VAGINA
 The vagina connects the cervix to the external
genitals
 It is located between the bladder and rectum
 The length of the vagina is variable.
 The anterior wall is shorter (6-8cm) than the
posterior wall(8-10cm)long.
 Vagina harbours Doderlein’s bacilli
( lactobacilli)
 Ph of vagina is (4.5 - 5.5)

Functions
 As a passageway for the menstrual flow
 For uterine secretions to pass down through the
introitus
 As the birth canal during labor
 With the help of two Bartholin’s glands ,
cervical glands secretions and transudation
from the vaginal epithelium secretions keep the
vagina lubricated.
 CERVIX

 Cervix constitutes the lower one third of

adult uterus and it measures
approximately 2.5cm.
 Its upper and lower ends are constricted
and are called the internal and external
os.
 In nulliparous women, the external os is
small and circular
 Its slits transversely in multiparous at
the external os
 Due to the slit the cervix is described as
having anterior and posterior lips
 CERVIX FUNCTIONS

 To allow flow of menstrual blood from the

uterus into the vagina

 Cervical mucus provides lubrication and

sperm transport during sexual intercourse

 The cervix acts as the passage through

which baby exists the uterus into the vagina
 LAYERS OF THE CERVIX

The walls of the cervix consists of two layers

 Mucous membrane
 Fibromuscular layer
 UTERUS

 The uterus is a hollow pear-shaped muscular organ,

which lies in the pelvis between the rectum and the
urinary bladder.
 In nulliparous women, its length is approx. 7.5cm (3),
breath is 5cm (2), and thickness is about2.5cm (1)
 Weight of the uterus is approx. 50 to 70 grams

Parts of the uterus

 Fundus
 body
 Cervix

 A small area at the junction of the cervix and body of

the uterus is called isthmus.
 It measures only 5mm
 LAYERS OF THE UTERUS
The wall of the uterus consists of three layers
from inside out these layers are as follows :
 Endometrium
 Myometrium
 Perimetrium

Thickness of the endometrium is variable.

During the post menstrual phase, it is very
thin i.e., 1-3 mm, but the premenstrual phase
it is thick and may measures 5-7mm. In the
premenstrual phase, when it is thick, it can be
divided into three layers :

 Compact layer
 Spongy layer
 Basal layer
 MYOMETRIUM

 Myometrium is responsible for the

thickness of the uterine wall.
 It consists mostly of involuntary muscle
fibers, with only a small amount of fibrous
and elastic tissue. The muscle fibers are
distributed in three layers :
 Inner ( circular fibers)
 Middle ( Criss cross fibers)
 Outer ( longitudinal fibers)
 PERIMETRIUM

 The outer most layer of the uterine wall.

 The peritoneal covering of the uterus forms
it.
 The body of the uterus is completely covered
by the peritoneum, except for a slit like area
laterally, where the two layers of the broad
ligaments are attached.
 THE LIGAMENTS OF THE UTERUS

The following ligaments are

attached to the uterus:

• Round ligaments
• Broad ligaments
• Ovarian ligaments
• Uterosacral ligaments
• Cardinal ligaments ( Transverse
cervical or Mackenrodt’s )
• Pubocervical fascia
 POSITION OF THE UTERUS

The uterus is anteverted and anteflexed in

80% of women and is retroverted in 20% of
women(mobile retroversion)
This position of the uterus is described in
relation to two axis
 Long axis of vagina
 Long axis of uterus
POSITION OF THE UTERUS
 FALLOPIAN TUBES

 The fallopian tubes are

5cm
attached to either side of the
2-3cm
uterus at the cornu.
 Each tube lies in the upper free
border of the broad ligament
and has a length of
approximately 10 cm, and it is
8mm in diameter. 6mm in diameter
 The medial end of the lumen
opens into the uterine cavity.
 It connects the peritoneal
cavity to the uterine cavity.
 The ova, when released from 1.52cm

the ovaries, enter the lumen of

the tube through its abdominal
ostium ( only 1mm in
diameter) and travel through
the tube to reach the uterine
cavity.
 LAYERS OF THE FALLOPIAN TUBES
The wall of the fallopian tube consists of the following
layers from inside out :
 Endosalpinx ( mucous membrane)
 Muscle wall
 Peritoneal covering
ENDOSALPINX
Is the mucous membrane lining the tube.
It has only a scanty submucous stroma and there are no
glands.
There are two types of epithelial cells in the endosalpinx.
 Ciliated columnar epithelium
 non-ciliated columnar epithelium
MUSCLE WALL
the muscle wall of the fallopian tube is thin.
It consist of an outer longitudinal and an inner circular
smooth muscle fiber.
Peristalsis of the fallopian tube is due to activity of this
layer.
PERITONEAL COVERING
The tubes are covered with it.
 OVARIES
 There are two ovaries.
 They are pearl grey and almond shaped.
 They lie on the either side of the uterus the
posterior layer of the broad ligament near the
lateral pelvic wall.
 Their size is variable but usually their length
is approx. 4cm, breath 2.5cm and thickness
1.5cm .
 Each weighs 4-8gm.
 In clinical practice, the tube, ovary, and its
mesentery are collectively called adnexa or
appendage
The ovaries have two zones namely

Medulla

 It is the inner core of the ovary adjoining the

hilum.
 It consist mostly of blood vessels and nerves
with a loosely packed fibrous tissue. The
blood vessels divide in the medulla and supply
the cortex.
Cortex
 It is the outer zone covered by the cuboidal
epithelium.
 Primordial and graafian follicles are found on
the surface of the ovary.
THE BLOOD SUPPLY OF GENITAL TRACT
 VENOUS DRAINAGE

 Right ovarian vein drains directly into the

inferior vena cava
 Left ovarian vein drains into the left renal
vein
 Uterine veins drain into the internal iliac
veins
 Pelvic veins form plexuses and usually
communicate with each other.
 Plexuses which drain the ovaries is called as
pampiniform plexus
 LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

 The lymphatic drainage of the genital tract is

into the regional group of lymph nodes.
 They eventually drain into the para-aortic
group of nodes, which lies on the side of the
abdominal aorta
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