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Womb

Lottie

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The womb, also known as the uterus, is a pear-shaped, muscular organ that is about 7.5 cm (3 in) long, and 5 cm (2 in) at its widest part when you are not pregnant. It is divided into two main parts: the body of the womb consists of the top two-thirds, and the cervix or neck of the womb is the lower third. The lining of the womb is called the endometrium; it is this that responds to hormonal changes in your menstrual cycle. The endometrium either comes away at the end of each cycle to form your period, or develops to nurture a growing fetus if an egg is fertilized.

The muscular properties of the womb respond to the hormone oestrogen to grow and expand to contain your growing baby. Growth of the muscles of the womb occurs for the first 20 weeks, after which progesterone relaxes these same muscles, allowing them to stretch.

After the birth the womb returns to its pre-pregnancy size by a process referred to as involution, which takes about six to eight weeks. Involution is greatly assisted by the hormone stimulated by breastfeeding, oxytocin.
 
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