Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

USPHS
United States Public Health Service.
ut dict
Abbreviation meaning “as directed.” See
also Appendix A, “Prescription Abbreviations.”
uterine cancer
See 
cancer, uterine.
uterine fibroid
See 
fibroid.
uterine fornix
See 
fornix uteri.
uterine retroversion
See 
uterus, tipped.
uterine rupture
A tear in the uterus. A uterine
rupture is a very serious situation. Causes include
trauma, labor with an unusually big baby, multiple
gestation, and vaginal delivery after a prior C-sec-
tion (in which the old C-section scar ruptures).
Uterine rupture can lead to hysterectomy, urologic
injury, the need for blood transfusion, and even the
death of the mother and baby.
uterine tube
See 
fallopian tube.
uterus
A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is
located in a woman’s lower abdomen, between the
bladder and the rectum. The narrow lower portion
urinary incontinence
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of the uterus is the cervix (the neck of the uterus).
The broader upper part is the corpus, which is
made up of three layers of tissue. In women of
childbearing age, the inner layer (endometrium) of
the uterus goes through a series of monthly changes
known as the menstrual cycle. Each month,
endometrial tissue grows and thickens in prepara-
tion to receive a fertilized egg. Menstruation occurs
when this tissue is not used, disintegrates, and
passes out through the vagina. The middle layer
(myometrium) of the uterus is muscular tissue that
expands during pregnancy to hold the growing fetus
and contracts during labor to deliver the child. The
outer layer (parametrium) also expands during
pregnancy and contracts thereafter.