#reproductive system
Prostate Snail
A secretory gastropod with a corpus amylaceum shell!
i❤️histo
This image is a close up view of a slice through the prostate gland!
The glandular portion of the prostate is composed of secretory acini that release prostatic fluid into a duct system within the gland. Prostatic fluid is a major component of semen and is rich in protein and sugar that keeps spermatozoa nourished as they travel through the reproductive tract.
The snail’s head and body are composed of the secretory epithelial cells!
The giant shell of the snail is a structure known as a prostatic concretion (corpus amylaceum or starchy body). This is a substance thought to be composed of thickened prostatic secretions and shed cells that is found in the acini and ducts of the prostate gland - it is of unknown significance.
However, these structures do increase in number with age and are a useful identifying feature of prostate in both non-pathological and pathological prostate specimens.
The space between the secretory acini is filled with a mixture of fibrous connective tissue and smooth muscle.
The smooth muscle is important because it contracts during ejaculation to push the prostatic fluid out of the gland and into the prostatic urethra where it mixes with spermatozoa arriving from the testis.
The connective tissue component is important clinically because as people with prostate glands grow older this fibrous tissue can undergo hyperplasia (excessive growth). This growth can constrict the urethra which passes directly through the prostate gland. The urethra, in addition to conveying semen during ejaculation, also carries urine during micturition/urination. This explains some of the symptoms associated with the common disorder, benign prostatic hyperplasia when urination becomes problematic for the elderly.
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Dinosmear
A rare sighting of the rawrsome Papanicolaous Rex!
The cells in this image are the squamous epithelial cells that line the region of the ectocervix the region of the hole (os) in the cervix where it protrudes into the vagina.
Doctors obtain these cells by scraping the cervix. The cells are then smeared onto a slide and stained with the Papanicolaou stain during the pap smear. Cytologists examine the cells for any signs of abnormal morphology that could be an indicator of cervical cancer or other pathology.
Image based on the original by @mik__e [Insta]
A little decor inspo from a customer who turned her bathroom into a public health announcement with our Good Ol’ Menstrual Cycle poster,Breast Exam EverandGrab Your Gonadsgraphics!
We are flattered to be on your walls, Kelly!
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ok, real honesty hours. I’ll tell you about my hysterectomy. my hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy which I had at the age of 20. my vagina is now sewn blind on the inside, and I am dependent on synthetic hormones for the rest of my life to avoid undergoing menopause in my 20s. but I have a certain point I want to get through.
one time I was talking to a strongly gendercrit radfem, and I told her how after my surgery I didn’t feel mutilated or incomplete at all - unlike many detrans radfems from the West that I talked to - but rather safe, relieved. she told me she heard something similar a lot from those who come from conservative countries, especially with abortion bans. women from Russia, Poland, Egypt, Iran etc. I happen to come from one of those, a conservative country with an abortion ban. I had sex dysphoria - still do to an extent - I don’t know all the sources of it, but I can tell for sure the political climate I grew up in heavily influenced my feelings towards my reproductive system in particular. I’m gay anyway, but it makes me feel safe to know if I get raped by a male (and that happened in my life) I would have 0 chances of pregnancy, and if the patriarchy and local politics got worse I would always be useless as a wife and mother so nobody would try to exploit me that way (maybe they’d kill me instead but that’s preferable). it feels different than just being on contraception or w/e, it’s ultimate freedom. in my country, even plan B is only available by prescription, and issuing said prescription is something any Christian doctor can legally refuse. unless you go abroad, you’re helpless.
all of my life I had tokophobia (phobia of pregnancy) and I was taught that my reproductive system was something that could be used against me, that could be utilized against my will and even used to hurt me (via rape and forced pregnancy) or it would hurt me on its own (i.e. being told I’d end up wanting biological kids because of “biological clock” even though the vision made me want to vomit and it made me terrified of my own body working against me), and I knew males only saw my value in that so I figured if I no longer have any use as a wife and mother, they’ll leave me alone.
it felt like having a ticking time bomb taken out of me.
now it can’t hurt me anymore. but I admit - I know - that it’s really a fucked up, unhealthy way to feel about my own body and my body parts; regardless, that’s the way I felt, being a dysphoric, tokophobic, homosexual female and a csa & rape victim growing up in a conservative country with extremely few reproductive rights. mind it, I am in med school, I knew the possible risks and complications of undergoing the surgery at such a young age. I was then in second year. I still felt positively about it. I knew it would grant me the ultimate safety, forever.
as for the point I wanted to make. this is exactly why allying with conservatives to fight TRAs is the dumbest thing in existence. you’re trying to put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it. in my country, the TRA movement is barely present. it wasn’t responsible for me feeling that way. conservatism was. lack of agency was. by supporting conservatives, you’re causing your own problem. I still live here, and I still don’t regret my surgery, but maybe you can work to make other young gay females not feel the way I did. you will never archieve that by supporting those who cause it in the first place.
this is ok to share btw, actually I want people to read it and know
Ovulation
Right so I did say that I’ll start talking about what we learn in med school. I’m currently doing the reproductive/ female system. And boy is it complicated but it’s also pretty amazing.
So as I’m still studying obviously let’s talk about the best thing I learnt in the first two days.
How your body releases eggs in the midpoint of the cycle. I’m not gonna talk about the hormonal basis here. Maybe in a future post.
Please excuse my rambling from this point onwards.Also I don’t know what kinda terminology should I use. Do I keep it as simple as possible? Or do I try to explain our terminology? Idk we’ll see if anyone interacts with this post.
Alright so the egg/ ovum/ oocyte develops in the ovary as we all know! It is supported through out its development by a surrounding group of cells forming a follicle.
The final follicle (mature/ graafian) is relatively huge with a 2-2.5 cm diameter. This means that it bulges on the surface.
24-36 hours before ovulation, blood flow to the part of the ovarian wall overlying this bulge stops ——> it eventually ruptures exposing the follicle. A couple of things happen inside the follicle leading to the egg with some surrounding follicular cells being expelled into the abdominal cavity.
Yes, the egg is just there chilling in the middle of all your abdominal organs. The end of the tubes/ oviduct/ Fallopian tube closest to the ovary is funnel shaped and has finger like extensions (Fimbria). They pick up the egg to send it to the uterus eventually.
So what if they fail to pick up the egg? In most cases nothing happens. But if a particularly active sperm manages to somehow reach the egg and fertilize it, we get an ectopic pregnancy in the abdomen. There are case reports about these pregnancies and here’s the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4170250/
Also:https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/102479/
Also here’s a video of ovulation:
Advanced Extrauterine Pregnancy at 33 Weeks with a Healthy Newborn
