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Information about External Orifice Of The Uterus

Posterior half of uterus and upper part of vagina. (External orifice labeled at bottom.)
Uterus and right broad ligament, seen from behind. (External uterine orifice labeled at bottom.)
Latinostium uteri, orificium externum uteri
subject #268 1260
Dorlands/Elsevier o_09/12602106


The external orifice of the uterus (or ostium of uterus, or external os) is a small, depressed, somewhat circular aperture on the rounded extremity of the vaginal portion of the cervix. Through this aperture, the cervical cavity communicates with that of the vagina.

The external orifice is bounded by two lips, an anterior and a posterior. The anterior is shorter and thicker, though it projects lower than the posterior because of the slope of the cervix. Normally, both lips are in contact with the posterior vaginal wall.

Additional images


Vessels of the uterus and its appendages, rear view.

Median sagittal section of female pelvis.


See also

External links

  • SUNY Figs 43:05-21 - "The uterus, uterine tubes and ovary with associated structures."
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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Female reproductive system
Ovaries/OogenesisGerminal epithelium • Tunica albuginea • cortex (Cumulus oophorus, Stroma) • Medulla
Follicles/Folliculogenesiscorpus (hemorrhagicum, luteum, albicans) • Theca folliculi (externa, interna) • Follicular antrum (Follicular fluid) • Corona radiata • Zona pellucida • Membrana granulosa (Granulosa cells)
LigamentsProper • Suspensory • Round • Broad (Mesovarium, Mesosalpinx, Mesometrium) • Cardinal
Fallopian tubesIsthmus • Ampulla • Infundibulum • Fimbria
Uteruscervix/neck (External orifice, Canal of the cervix, Internal orifice) • corpus/body (Cavity of the body, Fundus) • layers (Endometrium, Myometrium, Perimetrium)
VulvaMons pubis • Labium  (Labial commissures, Frenulum labiorum pudendi, Labia majora, Cleft of venus, Labia minora, Vulval vestibule, interlabial sulci) • Clitoris  (Clitoral hood , Clitoral glans, Frenulum clitoridis, Clitoral crura, Corpus cavernosa, Vestibular bulbs) • Vagina (Bartholin's glands, Bartholin's ducts, Skene's glands, Skene's ducts, Fossa of vestibule of vagina, Vaginal fornix, Hymen)
BreastMammary glands • Nipple • Areola • Lactiferous duct
OtherG-spot • Urethral sponge
uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina; the other is connected on both sides to the fallopian tubes.
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The vagina, (from Latin, literally "sheath" or "scabbard" ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles.
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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The cervix (from Latin "neck") is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall.
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The cervix (from Latin "neck") is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall.
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The vagina, (from Latin, literally "sheath" or "scabbard" ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles.
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The internal orifice of the uterus (or internal orifice of the cervix uteri or internal os) is an interior narrowing of the uterine cavity. It corresponds to a slight constriction known as the isthmus
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The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is an academic medical center and is the only one of its kind in the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City.
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened) is an English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject.
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Sexual reproduction.


The human female reproductive system contains two main parts: the vagina and uterus, which act as the receptacle for the male's sperm, and the ovaries, which produce the female's ova.
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The reproductive system is the ensembles and interactions of organs and/or substances within an organism that strictly pertain to reproduction. As an example, this would include in the case of female mammals, the hormone estrogen, ova, and the uterus and the vagina, and the breasts.
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For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants)
An ovary is an egg-producing reproductive organ found in female organisms. They are usually purple. It is often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate female reproductive system.
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Oogenesis or rarely oögenesis is the creation of an ovum (egg cell). It is the female process of gametogenesis. It involves the various stages of immature ova.

Oogenesis in mammals

In mammals, oogenesis occurs in the ovarian follicle of the ovary.
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The surface of the ovary is covered by a layer of columnar cells which constitutes the germinal epithelium of Waldeyer. (Some sources consider it simple cuboidal.[1]
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On the surface of the ovary this tissue is much condensed, and forms a layer, the tunica albuginea, composed of short connective-tissue fibers, with fusiform cells between them.
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cumulus oophorus( Latin cumulus=heap Greek or oo=egg phorus=carrying)discus proligerus, and in it the ovum is imbedded.

External links

  • Organology at UC Davis Reproductive/mammal/ovary5/ovary3

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The stroma of the ovary is a peculiar soft tissue, abundantly supplied with bloodvessels, consisting for the most part of spindle-shaped cells with a small amount of ordinary connective tissue.
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The medulla of ovary (or Zona vasculosa of Waldeyer) is a highly vascular stroma in the center of the ovary.

This stroma forms the tissue of the hilum by which the ovary is attached, and through which the bloodvessels enter: it does not contain any ovarian follicles.
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Ovarian follicles are the basic unit of female reproductive biology, they are roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They contain a single oocyte (aka ovum or egg).
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folliculogenesis is the maturation of the ovarian follicle, a densely-packed shell of somatic cells that contains an immature oocyte. Folliculogenesis describes the progression of a number of small primordial follicles into large preovulatory follicles
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The corpus hemorrhagicum ("bloody body") is a temporary structure formed immediately after ovulation from the ovarian follicle. After the trauma heals, the subsequent structure is called the corpus luteum (which in turn becomes the corpus albicans before degenerating.
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The corpus luteum (Latin for "yellow body") (plural corpora lutea) is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals, involved in the production of the progestogens which are needed for the maintenance of a pregnancy.
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corpus albicans (Latin for "white body" ) is the regressed form of the corpus luteum. As the corpus luteum is being broken down by macrophages, fibroblasts lay down type I collagen, forming the corpus albicans. This process is called "luteolysis".
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The theca folliculi comprise a layer of the ovarian follicles. They appear as the follicles become tertiary follicles.

The theca are divided into two layers: theca interna and theca externa.
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The theca folliculi comprise a layer of the ovarian follicles. They appear as the follicles become tertiary follicles.

The theca are divided into two layers: theca interna and theca externa.
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The theca folliculi comprise a layer of the ovarian follicles. They appear as the follicles become tertiary follicles.

The theca are divided into two layers: theca interna and theca externa.
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The follicular antrum is the portion of an ovarian follicle filled with liquor folliculi.

See also

  • antrum

External links

  • Histology at KUMC female-female07 "Graafian Follicle"
  • Organology at UC Davis

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Follicular fluid is a liquid which fills the follicular antrum and surrounds the ovum in an ovarian follicle. This fluid is rich in hyaluronic acid.

External links

  • UIUC Histology Subject 1083
  • MeSH Follicular+fluid
  • Diagram at med.mun.

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