women s health issues
Female Internal Genital Organs
Fallopian tubes
The two fallopian tubes, which are about 4 to 5 inches (about 10 to 13 centimeters) long, extend from the upper edges of the uterus toward the ovaries. The tubes do not directly connect with the ovaries. Instead, the end of each tube flares into a funnel shape with fingerlike extensions (fimbriae). When an egg is released from an ovary, the fimbriae guide the egg into the opening of a fallopian tube. The fallopian tubes are lined with tiny hairlike projections (cilia). The cilia and the muscles in the tube's wall propel an egg downward through the tube to the uterus. The fallopian tube is the usual site of Fertilization of the egg by the sperm. After fertilization, the fertilized egg enters the uterus and implants there. 