• produce gametes (eggs)

• produce hormones

  • estrogen & progesterone

• antral follicles

  • produce increasing levels of progestins, estrogens, and androgens

  • antral follicle count (AFC)

    • biological marker of fertility

Image credit: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-antral-follicle%3A-a-microenvironment-for-oocyte-Hennet-Combelles/1115869d517ca980b2f290ac29d5fd59998a0d0f/figure/0

• infundibulim, ampulla, isthmus

• facilitates sperm transport and capacitation 

• site of oocyte transport and maturation 

• site of fertilization and early embryonic cleavage

Image credit: https://www.selectsires.com/article/ss-blog/2020/11/05/reproductive-anatomy-and-physiology-of-cattle

• • provides suitable environment for fetal development

  • produces PGF2a

  • muscular layer contracts during parturition 

  • caruncles

    • provides passageway between cow and fetus for transfer of nutrients and waste

  • uterine horns

    • facilitate sperm transportation to oviducts

    • site of fetal growth and development

  • uterine body

    • "common" area between uterine horns 

    • sperm deposit location for artificial insemination

Image credit: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-reproductive-tract-in-the-cow_fig1_336664969

• helps prevent foreign material from entering uterus through the vagina 

• produces thick mucus 

Image credit: https://www.selectsires.com/article/ss-blog/2020/11/05/reproductive-anatomy-and-physiology-of-cattle

• female copulatory organ 

  • cranial, caudal, vestibule

  • some species have 2 vaginas

• fornix vagina

  • surrounds cervix

• outermost part of reproductive tract

• keeps out large debris

• can serve as an indicator for what is occuring within the tract

Image credit: https://open.lib.umn.edu/largeanimalsurgery/chapter/fixing-perineal-conformation/