Uterus

Uterus
Image showing different structures around and relating to the human uterus.
Details
Precursor	Paramesonephric duct
Artery	Ovarian artery, uterine artery
Vein	Uterine veins
Lymph	Body and cervix to internal iliac lymph nodes, fundus to para-aortic lymph nodes, lumbar and superficial inguinal lymph nodes.
Identifiers
Latin	Uterus
Greek	Hystera
MeSH	A05.360.319.679
TA	A09.1.03.001
FMA	17558
Anatomical terminology []

The uterus (from Latin "uterus", plural uteri) or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of humans and most other mammals. In the human, the lower end of the uterus, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other end, the fundus, is connected to the fallopian tubes. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation. In the embryo the uterus develops from the paramesonephric ducts which fuse into the single organ known as a simplex uterus. The uterus has different forms in many other animals and in some it exists as two separate uteri known as a duplex uterus.

In English, the term is used consistently within the medical and related professions, while the Germanic-derived term is also common in everyday contexts.

The uterus is located within the pelvic region immediately behind and almost overlying the bladder, and in front of the rectum. The human uterus is pear-shaped and about 7.6 cm (3 in.) long, 4.5 cm broad (side to side) and 3.0 cm thick. A typical adult uterus weighs about 60 grams. The uterus can be divided anatomically into four regions: The fundus, corpus (body), cervix and the internal os. The cervix protrudes into the vagina. The uterus is held in position within the pelvis by condensations of endopelvic fascia, which are called ligaments. These ligaments include the pubocervical, transverse cervical ligaments or cardinal ligaments, and the uterosacral ligaments. It is covered by a sheet-like fold of peritoneum, the broad ligament.