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Anatomy & Physiology of The Female Reproductive System
Anatomy & Physiology of The Female Reproductive System
Content
Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System o The Ovaries o The Female Duct System o The External Genitalia o The Mammary Glands Physiology of the Female Reproductive System o Oogenesis o The Ovarian Cycle o Hormonal Regulation of the Ovarian Cycle o The Uterine (Menstrual) Cycle o Extrauterine Effects of Estrogens and Progesterone o Female Sexual Response
The Ovaries
2. The ovaries flank the uterus laterally and are held in position by the ovarian and suspensory ligaments and mesovaria. 3. Within each ovary are oocyte-containing follicles at different stages of development and corpora lutea
FIGURE 27.12 Structure of an ovary. (a) The ovary has been sectioned to reveal the follicles in its interior. Note that not all of these structures would appear in the ovary at the same time
FIGURE 27.13 Ovulation. A secondary oocyte is released from a follicle at the surface of the ovary (30). The orange mass below the ejected oocyte is part of the ovary. (Primary and secondary oocytes are explained in Figure 27.19 on p. 1091.)
(b) Anterior view of the reproductive organs of a female cadaver. (See A Brief Atlas of the Human Body, Figure 75.)
FIGURE 27.15 The endometrium and its blood supply. (a) Photomicrograph of the endometrium, longitudinal section, showing its functionalis and basalis regions (35). (b) Diagrammatic view of the endometrium, showing the straight arteries that serve the stratum basalis and the spiral arteries that serve the stratum functionalis. The thin-walled veins and venous sinusoids are also illustrated
FIGURE 27.16 The external genitalia (vulva) of the female. (a) Superficial structures. The region enclosed by the dashed lines is the perineum. (b) Deep structures. The labia majora and associated skin have been removed to show the underlying erectile bodies. For the associated superficial muscles, see Figure 10.12 on p. 351.
FIGURE 27.21 Feedback interactions in the regulation of ovarian function. Numbers refer to events listed in the text. Events that follow step 8 (negative feedback inhibition of the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary by progesterone and estrogens) are not depicted, but involve a gradual deterioration of the corpus luteum and, therefore, a decline in ovarian hormone production. Ovarian hormones reach their lowest blood levels around day 28
10. Falling levels of ovarian hormones during the last few days of the ovarian cycle cause the spiral arteries to become spastic and cut off the blood supply of the functional layer, and the uterine cycle begins again with menstruation.
FIGURE 27.22 Correlation of anterior pituitary and ovarian hormones with structural changes of the ovary and uterus. The time bar at the bottom of the figure, reading Days 1 to 28, applies to all four parts of this figure (a) The fluctuating levels of pituitary gonadotropins in the blood (FSH = folliclestimulating hormone; LH = luteinizing hormone). These hormones regulate the events of the ovarian cycle (b) The fluctuating levels of ovarian hormones (estrogens and progesterone) that cause the endometrial changes of the uterine cycle. The high estrogen levels are also responsible for the LH/FSH surge in (a) (c) Structural changes in the ovarian follicles during the 28-day ovarian cycle are correlated with (d) changes in the endometrium of the uterus during the uterine cycle (d) The three phases of the uterine cycle: menstrual, proliferative, and secretory. Basically, the first phase is a shedding and the second is a rebuilding of the functional zone of the endometrium. Both of these events occur before ovulation and together they correspond to the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle. The third phase, the secretory phase which begins immediately after ovulation, enriches the blood supply and provides the nutrients that prepare the endometrium to receive an embryo. It corresponds in time to the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle.
12. Progesterone cooperates with estrogen in breast maturation and regulation of the uterine cycle.