A uterus, aka womb, is a hollow reproductive organ in women. It’s situated deep in your pelvic cavity, between the rectum and bladder. An amazing thing about this cavity type organ is it capable of huge expansion and then contract back to near normal size.
Your uterus has 3 openings, one on each side of its top that meet with the fallopian tubes. The other is center bottom that leads into the vagina, what’s known as your cervix. Although the cervix is most often constricted, it opens to allow for menstrual discharge and a fetus to pass.
Your uterus is the site where several requirements for reproduction occur. It is here where an egg is received from an ovary, via a fallopian tube, fertilized by sperm deposited during intercourse and implants into the organs lining for nourishment from blood vessels. Once these preliminary steps to reproduce are complete within uterus, you are considered pregnant. If all goes well, an implanted egg develops into a baby over the course of nine months, culminating in its birth.
Like most organs in the body, a uterus can have its problems. Health conditions that may cause a disrupting affect on performance of its reproductive function include:
- polyps
- fibroids
- infection
- prolapse
- cervicitis
- adhesions
- adenomyosis
- endometriosis
- hormone imbalance
- endometrial hyperplasia
- cancer ~ uterine, cervical
Certain health conditions may ultimately require removal of your uterus, what’s referred to as a hysterectomy. Once removed, the ability to reproduce is impossible. Therefore, this surgery is typically only done after every other treatment measure has been exhausted.
