Female internal reproductive anatomy

The Fallopian tubes', also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx), are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. They are named after their discoverer, the 16th century Italian anatomist, Gabriele Falloppio. Though the name 'Fallopian tube' is eponymous, some texts spell it with a lower case 'f' owing to the theory that the adjective 'fallopian' has been absorbed into modern English as the de facto name for the structure. Image File history File links From Image:Fem_isa. ... Image File history File links From Image:Fem_isa. ... Human female internal reproductive anatomy Ovaries are a part of a female organism that produces eggs. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Gabriele Falloppio Gabriele Falloppio (1523- October 9, 1562), often known by his Latin name Fallopius, was one of the most important anatomists and physicians of the sixteenth century; he was born at Modena, Italy in 1523; he died October 9, 1562 at Padua. ...

There are two Fallopian tubes, attached to either side of the cranial end of the uterus, and each terminating at or near one ovary forming a structure called the fimbria. In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... A fimbria (plural fimbriae) is an appendage in many gram-negative bacteria that is thinner and shorter than a flagellum. ...

When an ovum is developing in an ovary, it is encapsulated in a sac known as an ovarian follicle. On maturity of the ovum, the follicle and the ovary's wall rupture, allowing the ovum to escape and enter the Fallopian tube. There it travels toward the uterus, pushed along by movements of cilia on the inner lining of the tubes. This trip takes hours or days. If the ovum is fertilized while in the Fallopian tube, then it normally implants in the endometrium when it reaches the uterus, which signals the beginning of pregnancy. Occasionally the embryo implants into the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus, creating an ectopic pregnancy. A human ovum An ovum (from Latin, loosely, egg or egg cell) is a female sex cell or gamete. ... Ovarian follicles or Graafian follicles (after Regnier de Graaf) are the roughly spherical cell aggregations in the ovary containing an ovum and from which the egg is released during ovulation. ... cross-section of two cilia, showing 9+2 structure A cilium (plural cilia) is a fine projection from a eukaryotic cell that constantly beats in one direction. ... A spermatozoon fertilising an ovum Fertilisation or fertilization (also known as conception, fecundation and syngamy) is fusion of gametes to form a new organism of the same species. ... The endometrium is the inner uterine membrane in mammals which is developed in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg upon its arrival into the uterus. ... Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ...

The Fallopian tubes are mobile, and have been observed on time-lapse videography moving about the pelvis. Although anatomical illustrations have them proceeding from the uterine horns to the ovary, this is not the case for most of the menstrual cycle, and a tube may cross to the other side or lie on top of the uterus.

The Fallopian tubes are not homologous to the vas deferens or any other structure in males. Embryos have two pairs of ducts to let gametes out of the body; one pair develops in females into the Fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina, while the other pair develops in males into the epididymis and vas deferens. Normally, only one of the pair of tubes will develop while the other regresses and disappears in utero. Schematic drawing of female reproductive organs, frontal view. ... Two or more structures are said to be homologous if they are alike because of shared ancestry. ... The vas deferens, also called ductus deferens, (Latin: carrying-away vessel) is part of male anatomy of some species, notably including humans. ... Embryos (and one tadpole) of the wrinkled frog (Rana rugosa). ... Gametes, from the ancient Greek γαμετης (spouse), are the specialized germ cells that come together during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. ... Human female internal reproductive anatomy. ... Male Anatomy The epididymis is part of the human male reproductive system and is present in all male mammals. ...

The Fallopian tubes are not directly attached to the ovaries, but open into the peritoneal cavity (essentially the inside of the abdomen); they thus form a direct communication between the peritoneal cavity and the outside via the vagina. In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity - it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs. ...

The surgical removal of a Fallopian tube is called a salpingectomy. To remove both sides is a bilateral salpingectomy. An operation that combines the removal of a Fallopian tube with removal of at least one ovary is a salpingo-oophorectomy. Salpingectomy refers to the surgical removal of a Fallopian tube. ... Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries of a female animal. ...

In humans, the Fallopian tubes are about 7–14 cm long. Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are biologically classified as bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or thinking man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ...

See also

• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Menstrual cycle