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Broad ligament of uterus: anatomy, location and function

The broad ligament is a double fold of peritoneum that hangs from the sides of the uterus to the side walls and floor of the pelvis. It carries the vessels, nerves and lymphatics of the uterus, tubes and ovaries and holds them in position; it gives little mechanical support.

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Highlighted in the model: Broad ligament of uterus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Broad ligament of uterus at a glance

What it is
The broad ligament is a double fold of peritoneum that hangs from the sides of the uterus to the side walls and floor of the pelvis.
Location
It extends from the lateral margins of the uterus to the lateral pelvic walls. The uterine tube runs in its free upper edge.
Function
It carries the vessels, nerves and lymphatics of the uterus, tubes and ovaries and holds them in position; it gives little mechanical support.
Body system
Reproductive · single, midline structure · female body
FMA ID
FMA16516 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Its parts are the mesometrium (beside the uterus), the mesosalpinx (around the tube) and the mesovarium (to the ovary).
  • It contains the uterine tube, the round ligament, the ovarian ligament and the uterine and ovarian vessels.
  • At its base the ureter passes under the uterine artery about 1.5–2 cm lateral to the cervix.

Clinical relevance

During hysterectomy the uterine artery is tied close to the uterus so that the ureter, which runs just beneath it, is not injured.

Structures next to the broad ligament of uterus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Broad ligament of uterus (FMA16516). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §27.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ovarian Reproductive System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.