Review: Anatomy of the Female Pelvis

Here is what we have learned from Anatomy of the Female Pelvis:

• The upper two-thirds of the uterus is the body or corpus and the lower third of the uterus comprises the cervix.
• The upper boundary of the cervix is the level of the internal os, a narrowing of the uterus that is also referred to as the isthmus.
• The internal os is the opening between the cervix and the corpus; and the external os is the opening between the cervix and vagina.
• The upper two-thirds of the cervix contains columnar glandular epithelium; and the lower third of the cervix is comprised of stratified squamous epithelium extending onto the lip of the cervix.
• The midpoint between the exocervix and the endocervix is the squamocolumnar junction.
• The Pouch of Douglas is the space between the rectum and the uterus, which is the lowest part of the abdominal cavity.
• Regional lymph nodes for the cervix include: paracervical, parametrial, presacral, sacral, external iliac, common iliac, hypogastric (obturator), internal iliac.