the uterus is a vital part of the reproductive system it is the part that is essential for the development of the foetus, additionally it serves as a pathway for the sperm to reach the uterine tubes, furthermore it is the sight of menstruation and implantation of the foetus or foetuses.
there are different types of uteruses within the animal kingdom for example:
There's the simplex uterus - this has on uterine horns connected to the uterine body and is found I primates
The Dupex uterus - this has large horns, no body and two cervix and is found in rodents and lagomorphs (rabbits)
Bicornet uterus - this has both a uterine horns and a uterine body, this can be found in pigs they have large horns, cattle, horses and sheep however they have moderate horns (Rogers, n.d.)
In the human Uterus there are anatomical subdivision's , the dome- shape portion superior to the uterine tubes is the Fundus, the central portion is the body of the uterus, and narrowing portion and the opening is the cervix. (Tortora& Grabowski, Reynolds, 1996).
Cervix
this is the lower third part of the human Uterus , and it forms the neck of the uterus, additionally it is the opening into the vagina (endocervical canal), during pregnancy the cervix will close to maintain the foetus within the uterus, during birth it will dilate to allow passage of the foetuses from the uterus to the vagina. there are cells with in the cervix that secrete cervical mucus this is a mi8xture of water, glycoprotein (serum type protein), lipids, enzymes and inorganic salts. he cervical mucus becomes less viscous and more alkaline (pH8.5) during the time of ovulation (becoming more receptive to sperm), at other time the viscos mucus forms a plug to physically impedes sperm penetration, during the time the cervix is favourable to the sperm the mucus supplements the energy required by the sperm and serves as a sperm reservoir, protecting it from the hostile surroundings (the vagina) and protecting it from the phagocytes (Tortora& Grabowski, Reynolds, 1996), (Cornforth,
2014) the image above is that of a female dog.