ABSTRACT
The reproductive tract of the female is typical of that of a bicornuate species that produces litters. The ovaries are located caudal to the kidneys and are only loosely attached by a thin ovarian ligament and suspended within the broad ligament of the uterus (mesometrium). The ovarian vessels are the last branches of the aorta and vena cava prior to the iliac bifurcation at approximately L5-L6. The fallopian tubes are long and tortuous and typically form coils in the caudal abdominal cavity (Chapter 1, Figure 1.43; Figures 8.1 and 8.2). The fallopian tubes of an 80-to 100-kg pig approximate the diameter of those of an adult human (Rock et al., 1979). The uterine horns are long and curve cranially from the ovaries and then reverse direction to form the short body of the uterus at approximately the same region of the ovaries in the midsagittal plane. The cervix is thick, elongated, and has a curved cervical canal. The vagina extends caudally in the pelvic cavity and contains the urethral orice on the ventral oor at approximately the level of the caudal edge of the pubic bone and has similar morphologic characteristics to humans (D’Cruz et al., 2005). The pig has a diffuse epitheliochorial placentation with drug transport and metabolic mechanisms similar to humans. This type of placenta does not invade the endometrium. The placental membranes include the yolk sac, amnion, allantois, and chorion, and the latter two membranes fuse at an early stage to form a chorioallantoic type of placenta. The chorioallentois is responsible for transplacental transport of nutrients from the sow (Bazer et al., 2001; Swindle and Bobbie, 1987; Swindle et al., 1996; Wiest et al., 1996). Colored histologic sections are contained on the textbook DVD.
