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Changes to the Uterus and Ovaries During Pregnancy

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There are multiple changes that occur in

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the uterus and adnexa during pregnancy.

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The first and most obvious is that the

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uterus is going to increase in size, and this

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happens in a pattern of predictable growth.

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When patients come into the clinic,

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we can measure their fundal height,

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and we can estimate their gestational

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age based on the size of the uterus.

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Remember that hormonal support of the

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pregnancy is ovarian, and up until about

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10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy, progesterone

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that's secreted by the corpus luteum is

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going to maintain the pregnancy until the

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point at which the placenta takes over.

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As the uterus increases in size and

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ascends into the abdomen, the abdominal

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viscera, the bowel, the ovaries, are

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all displaced laterally and superiorly.

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We can see for this patient, who has a

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third trimester pregnancy, that the uterus

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has significantly increased in size

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from what we saw in the cases that we

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just reviewed for non-pregnant patients.

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We see the fetus, which is

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in cephalic presentation.

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This is T2 bright amniotic fluid.

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And again, we see the T2 heterogeneous

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ovaries with T2 bright follicles.

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So this is the right ovary

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and this is the left ovary.

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So we see that the ovaries have

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been displaced superiorly and

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laterally in the context of pregnancy.

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Another change that occurs is the overall blood

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volume within the maternal body increases, and

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the vasculature in the pelvis proliferates

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significantly to accommodate nutrient

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supply and oxygen exchange with the fetus.

Report

Faculty

Erin Gomez, MD

Assistant Professor of Radiology

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Tags

Women's Health

Uterus

Ovaries

MRI

Gynecologic (Gyn)

Gynecologic (GYN)

Genitourinary (GU)

Cervix

Body

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