Uterus

From WikiParenting

The uterus is located in the abdomen of females in the lower abdominal region between the bladder and the rectum. This hollow, muscular organ is also known as the womb.

[edit] Structure

It is shaped like an upside down pear; the large portion of the pear shape is where a fetus grows during development, the lower portion is the cervix. Under and connected to the cervix is the vagina. Connected to each side of the uterus at the top are the fallopian tubes and the ovaries. The uterus has an inner layer, the endometrium, and an outer layer, the myometrium. The endometrium supports and nourishes the fetus. The myometrium is composed of muscular tissue that grows during pregnancy all the while supporting the child. During labor the myometrium contracts to assist in expelling the fetus.

[edit] Function

The main function of the uterus is to support a growing fetus prior to childbirth. The uterus of a woman that is of childbearing age goes through a series of changes during the menstrual cycle. The inner layer of the uterus, the endometrium, prepares to receive a fertilized egg by thickening. If a fertilized egg is not received during a cycle, the endometrium disintegrates and passes out through the vagina and the woman menstruates. If a fertilized egg implants into the lining of the uterus, it will grow and develop into an embryo and then a fetus, until gestation is complete and childbirth begins.