THE OVARIES 



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They lie close above the bulb, and are enclosed by the transverse fibres of the 

 Compressor urethrse muscle. Their existence is said to be constant; they gradu- 

 ally diminish in size as age advances. 



The excretory duct of each gland, nearly an inch in length, passes obliquely 

 forward beneath the mucous membrane, and opens by a minute orifice on the 

 floor of the bulbous portion of the urethra. 



Structure. Each gland consists of several lobules held together by a fibrous investment. 

 Each lobule consists of a number of acini lined by columnar epithelial cells, opening into one 

 duct, which, joining with the ducts of other lobules outside the gland, form the single excretory 

 duct. 



THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



The female reproductive organs (organa genitalia muliebria) consist of an internal 

 and an external group. The internal organs are situated within the pelvis, and 

 consist of the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes or oviducts, the uterus, and the vagina. 

 The external organs are placed superficial to the triangular ligament of the urethra 

 and below and in front of the pubic arch. They comprise the mons veneris, 

 the labia majora et minora, the clitoris, the bulbi vestibuli, and the glands of 

 Bartholin. 



THE OVARIES (OVARIA) (Figs. 1155, 1160). 



The ovaries are homologous with the testes in the male. They are two nodular, 

 oval-shaped bodies of an elongated form, situated one on either side of the uterus, 

 in the posterior layer of the broad ligament behind and below the Fallopian tube. 



Ureter. 



Sacrogenital fold. 

 Pararectal fossa. 



v \ Ligament of ovary. 

 \ ^Fallopian tube. 

 Bound ligament 

 of uterus. 



FIG. 1155. Female pelvis and its contents, seen from above and in front. 



The ovaries are of a grayish-pink color, and present either a smooth or a puckered, 

 uneven surface. They are each about an inch and a half (3.75 cm.) in length 

 three-quarters of an inch (2 cm.) in width, and about a third of an inch (8 mm.) 

 thick, and weigh from one to two drams (4 to 8 grams). 



