Fallopian tubes in the context of "Uterine"

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⭐ Core Definition: Fallopian tubes

The fallopian tubes, also known as uterine tubes, oviducts or salpinges (sg.: salpinx), are paired tubular sex organs in the human female body that stretch from the ovaries to the uterus. The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive system. In other vertebrates, they are only called oviducts.

Each tube is a muscular hollow organ that is on average between 10 and 14 cm (3.9 and 5.5 in) in length, with an external diameter of 1 cm (0.39 in). It has four described parts: the intramural part, isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum with associated fimbriae. Each tube has two openings: a proximal opening nearest to the uterus, and a distal opening nearest to the ovary. The fallopian tubes are held in place by the mesosalpinx, a part of the broad ligament mesentery that wraps around the tubes. Another part of the broad ligament, the mesovarium suspends the ovaries in place.

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Fallopian tubes in the context of Uterus

The uterus (from Latin uterus, pl.: uteri or uteruses) or womb (/wm/) is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more fertilized eggs until birth. The uterus is a hormone-responsive sex organ that contains glands in its lining that secrete uterine milk for embryonic nourishment. (The term uterus is also applied to analogous structures in some non-mammalian animals.)

In humans, the lower end of the uterus is a narrow part known as the isthmus that connects to the cervix, the anterior gateway leading to the vagina. The upper end, the body of the uterus, is connected to the fallopian tubes at the uterine horns; the rounded part, the fundus, is above the openings to the fallopian tubes. The connection of the uterine cavity with a fallopian tube is called the uterotubal junction. The fertilized egg is carried to the uterus along the fallopian tube. It will have divided on its journey to form a blastocyst that will implant itself into the lining of the uterus – the endometrium, where it will receive nutrients and develop into the embryo proper, and later fetus, for the duration of the pregnancy.

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Fallopian tubes in the context of Semen

Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is a bodily fluid that contains spermatozoa from the male gonads of animals. In humans and placental mammals, seminal fluid is ejaculated through the penis via the urethra. This fluid contains proteolytic and other enzymes as well as fructose, which together promote the survival of spermatozoa and provide a medium through which they can move (or "swim") from the vagina into the uterus and to the fallopian tubes, where they can fertilize the female ovum and form a zygote (diploid cell).

Semen is collected from animals for artificial insemination or cryoconservation of genetic material. Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources is a practice that calls for the collection of semen in efforts for conservation of a particular breed.

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Fallopian tubes in the context of Uterine cavity

The uterine cavity is the inside of the uterus. It is triangular in shape, the base (broadest part) being formed by the internal surface of the body of the uterus between the openings of the fallopian tubes, the apex by the internal orifice of the uterus through which the cavity of the body communicates with the canal of the cervix. The uterine cavity where it enters the openings of the fallopian tubes is a mere slit, flattened antero-posteriorly.

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Fallopian tubes in the context of Uterine horns

The uterine horns (cornua of uterus) are the points in the upper uterus where the fallopian tubes or oviducts exit to meet the ovaries. They are one of the points of attachment for the round ligament of uterus (the other being the mons pubis). They also provide attachment to the ovarian ligament, which is located below the fallopian tube at the back, while the round ligament of uterus is located below the tube at the front.

The uterine horns are far more prominent in other animals (such as cows and cats) than they are in humans. In the cat, implantation of the embryo occurs in one of the two uterine horns, not the body of the uterus itself.

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