Function of the uterus - after fertilization become a place where the baby will grow and develop, because the uterus is above the vagina above its neck, and finding the uterus in the abdominal cavity behind the pelvic bones protects it from possible damages.
Where is the woman's uterus?
Where the vagina ends, the cervix is located - this is its lower part in the form of a cylindrical tube with a narrow channel inside. This channel is called cervical, it is oval in nulliparous women and slit-shaped in those giving birth. Through this channel, the sperm enters the uterine cavity, trapped by a mucous plug, which normally closes the canal. They result in discharge during menstruation.
Above the cervix is located its body, usually a pear-shaped form, which is located behind the bladder, in front of the rectum in the small pelvis. It consists of 3 layers:
- endometrium (mucous layer) - the inner layer of the uterine cavity, to which a fertilized egg is attached during pregnancy;
- myometrium (muscle layer) - the middle layer that provides uterine contractions;
- perimetry (serous layer) - a leaflet of the peritoneum covering the uterus from the outside.
Over the body of the uterus is its bottom, where the openings of the fallopian tubes open. In the region of the uterus, the anterior and posterior layers of the peritoneum converge, where the ligament of the uterus is formed, in which the fallopian tubes (in the broad ligaments of the uterus) are formed. Additionally, the uterus is fixed by the round and cardinal ligament of the uterus. The uterus is located in the geometric center of the small pelvis, its displacement is possible with malformations and as a result of inflammatory processes in the small pelvis.
Features of the uterus
There are differences in where the uterus is located in the girl and the woman, as well as during pregnancy. In nulliparous women, it does not rise above the pubic bone and its length is no more than 8 cm, the width is not more than 4 cm, the thickness is no more than 3 cm.
During pregnancy, the uterus stretches and grows in size. By the location of the uterus and its bottom during pregnancy, you can determine the period. The height of the uterus in centimeters approximately corresponds to the period of pregnancy of a woman in weeks. After 13-14 weeks, the uterus rises above the pubis, if the height of standing of the uterus above the symphysis differs from the gestation period by more than 3 cm, then one can think of the pathology of pregnancy (eg, polyhydramnios, FGRS).
After birth, the uterus is 4 fingers below the navel, but it quickly shrinks and returns to normal size after 1-2 months.