The fallopian tubes
Uterine tube · tuba uterina
Two thin tubes that catch each released egg and carry it towards the womb.
What it does
Each tube is about ten centimetres long and runs from the top corner of the womb out towards an ovary. Its far end opens like a fringed funnel. Tiny hair-like cilia and gentle muscle waves move an egg along the tube over a few days. If sperm meet the egg, fertilisation usually happens here, not in the womb.
Surprising fact
The tubes aren't actually joined to the ovaries. Finger-like fringes at the open end sweep over the ovary's surface to catch each egg as it is released.
Why it matters
Because the egg has to cross that small gap and travel the tube, a blocked tube can make it harder to get pregnant. The tubes are named after Gabriele Falloppio, the Italian anatomist who described them in 1561.
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.