00:01
In this next topic,
we're going to look at the
female reproductive organs.
00:06
So let's start by
introducing those organs.
00:11
So what we're looking at here
is the lateral view.
00:14
To the left hand side
we have the anterior aspect,
and to the right hand side
we have the posterior aspect.
00:20
And first of all,
we have the external genitalia.
00:23
And that may look quite
complicated at the moment.
00:25
We'll come back to that in the
next topic around the perineum.
00:29
But specifically, we're going to
look at the internal genitalia here.
00:33
We have the vagina, which leads
on via the cervix to the uterus.
00:37
We then have the uterine tubes,
and we have our ovaries.
00:41
So we're going to look at these
structures in more detail.
00:45
Now, first of all, let's go back
to a familiar image.
00:48
If you looked at the previous topic
introducing the pelvis.
00:52
Here we have anteriorly
the pubic symphysis
and then immediately posterior
to that we have the bladder,
and then we find the first of
our female reproductive organs.
01:02
We have the uterus.
We have the vagina.
01:05
Posterior to those two,
we then have the rectum.
01:09
If we can remind ourselves
that we have a layer of peritoneum,
which is coming down
from the posterior aspect
of the anterior abdominal wall.
01:17
Curving over the
surface of the bladder
to then form these two pouches,
either side of the uterus.
01:24
So between the uterus
and the bladder,
this pouching of peritoneum
creates the vesicouterine pouch,
and then between the rectum and
the posterior aspect of the uterus,
and the fallacies of the vagina,
we have the recto-uterine pouch.
01:40
And again, this is important
because this pouch
is the lowest part of
the peritoneal cavity.
01:45
And if it was to have an
accumulation of free fluid, or pus,
then you can drain that fluid
by passing through the vagina,
a transvaginal approach,
passing through
the posterior fornix
and draining fluid
from this aspect.
02:01
So now let's have a look
at these organs in situ
within the bony pelvis.
02:06
So we're looking kind of
anterior superior view.
02:09
So we're looking kind of down from
the front aspects of the body.
02:13
And we can see if we zoom in,
we have the pubic symphysis,
most anteriorly.
02:20
We then moving posteriorly
have the urinary bladder.
02:23
We have the uterus.
02:24
We have the fallopian tubes
lateral to the uterus,
where we see the ovaries,
and then we have the rectum
most posteriorly.
02:33
This means we can then appreciate
the vesicouterine pouch,
and the rectouterine pouch
as being those deepest aspects
of the peritoneal cavity
as it extends down
from the abdomen, into the pelvis.
02:46
So these organs are really
protruding up from the pelvis
into the false pelvis
as they're taking
a layer of peritoneum with them
and situated within
the abdominal cavity.
02:58
This is obviously important as the
uterus if it was to become gravid.
03:02
So pregnant, then that uterus
would then fill with the
embryo and the growing fetus
and it would expand outwards
into the abdominal cavity
and then outwards
by the anterior abdominal wall.
03:17
It couldn't do this if it was
retained within the bony pelvis.