Fimbria (female reproductive system)
Encyclopedia
In the female reproductive system, the fimbria (plural, fimbriae) is a fringe of tissue around the ostium of the Fallopian tube
Ostium of Fallopian tube
The ostium of the Fallopian tube may refer to the proximal or distal opening of the tube.The proximal tubal opening is located within the uterus at the uterotubal junction and accessible via hysteroscopy...

, in the direction of the ovary
Ovary
The ovary is an ovum-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate female reproductive system. Ovaries in anatomically female individuals are analogous to testes in anatomically male individuals, in that they are both gonads and endocrine glands.-Human anatomy:Ovaries...

.

An ovary is not directly connected to its adjacent Fallopian tube. When ovulation
Ovulation
Ovulation is the process in a female's menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum . Ovulation also occurs in the estrous cycle of other female mammals, which differs in many fundamental ways from the menstrual cycle...

 is about to occur, the sex hormones activate the fimbriae, causing it to swell with blood and hit the ovary in a gentle, sweeping motion. An oocyte
Oocyte
An oocyte, ovocyte, or rarely ocyte, is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female germ cells produce a primordial germ cell which undergoes a mitotic...

 is released from the ovary into the peritoneal cavity and the cilia of the fimbriae sweep the ovum into the Fallopian tube.

Not all fimbriae, but only the ovarian fimbria (fimbria ovarica) is long enough to reach to ovary.

External links

- "Female Reproductive System: oviduct; infundibulum and fimbria" - "Posterior view of the broad ligament of the uterus, on the left side."
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