Medical Centric

UTERUS

Women's Health / By

UTERUS

  • The Uterus, or womb, is a thick- walled, inverted pear-shaped muscular organ of the female reproductive system. . It is connected distally to the vagina, and laterally to the uterine tubes.
  • The main function of the uterus is to contain and nourish a fetus during its development prior to birth
  • The size of the uterus helps detect if a woman is susceptible to any gynecological problems, it also tells of a woman’s health. The only time a significant change occurs in the size of the uterus is during pregnancy.
  • In an average woman, its length is about 7.6 (3.0 in), the width is about 4.5cm(1.8 in) and 3.0cm (1.2 in) thick.
  • It is a unique female reproductive organ that is responsible for several reproductive functions such as menstruation, labor and delivery.

LOCATION

  • The uterus can be found within the pelvic region (sitting well in the central of the pelvis), behind the bladder and in front of the rectum.
  • The exact anatomical position of the uterus within the pelvis varies from person to person.
  • This variation is either anteverted or retroverted.
  • An anteverted uterus slightly tilts forward toward the bladder with the anterior end slightly concaved, a retroverted uterus slightly tilts backward towards the spine.
  • Even though both positions are normal and do not pose any medical problem, most women have an anteverted uterus and about 1 in 4-5 women have a retroverted uterus.
  • However, since the retroverted uterus is located directly above the vagina. The uterus is likely to prolapse inside the vagina in a case of increased abdominal pressure.

ANATOMY

The uterus is made up of 3 layers. They are: fundus, the corpus and the cervix (made up of another 3 layers).

The Fundus

The Fundus is the upper part of the uterus. It is wide ad curved. Just below the fundus, the fallopian tube is attached to the uterus at either sides. The fundus is the region that houses a fertilized embryo as it develops into a baby.

The corpus

The corpus lies a little below the fundus and is composed of three layers.

  1. The innermost layer known as endometrium is lined by a mucus membrane that responds to reproductive hormone by thickening during each menstrual cycle. If an egg is fertilized, it attaches to the endometrium. But in the absence of a fertilized egg, the endometrium sheds its outer layer of cells, in what we know as menstruation.
  2. The central muscle layer is called the myometrium and is the layer that enlarges during pregnancy and contracts during labor.
  3. The outermost layer called the parametrium also expands and contracts. Expansion allows for the housing of a growing baby and the contraction will help to push the baby through the cervix and vagina.
The cervix

The lowest part of the uterus is the cervix.  It connects the uterus to the vagina. During ovulation, the thick mucus produced by the glands in the cervical lining becomes thinner for easy passage of sperm into the uterus.

The cervix has three main parts:

Endocervix.  The inner part that connects the cervix and the uterus. It s the opening of the uterus.

Cervical canal. It links the uterus to the vagina.

Exocervix. The exocervix is the exterior part of the cervix that protrudes into the vagina.

During childbirth, the cervix broadens to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal.

FUNCTION

The main purpose of the uterus is preservation of life. It is the site of nourishment for the developing baby, making it one of the most significant reproductive organ in the females’ body. In search of a better home, the egg journeys downward. Enough space can’t be provided by the tight fallopian tube to house the growing embryo. And this is why the uterus is the best fit. The expansion and the contraction of the uterus can make room for a developing baby, it is also rich in supply of blood vessel making the uterus the best site for the implantation of the embryo. Thus, the uterus is the site that allows for continuous reproduction!