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Cervix of uterus: anatomy, location and function

The cervix is the narrow, cylindrical lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Its canal connects the uterine cavity to the vagina. Its mucus changes in the cycle, letting sperm through around ovulation, and it stays closed to hold a pregnancy until labour.

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Highlighted in the model: Cervix 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.

Cervix of uterus at a glance

Also called
Cervix
What it is
The cervix is the narrow, cylindrical lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina.
Location
It is about 2.5–3 cm long. Its lower part projects into the top of the vagina, surrounded by the vaginal fornices.
Function
Its canal connects the uterine cavity to the vagina. Its mucus changes in the cycle, letting sperm through around ovulation, and it stays closed to hold a pregnancy until labour.
Body system
Reproductive · single, midline structure · female body
FMA ID
FMA17740 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The cervical canal runs from the internal os to the external os.
  • The ectocervix is covered by stratified squamous epithelium; the endocervical canal is lined by mucus-secreting columnar epithelium.
  • The junction between them, the transformation zone, is where most cervical cancers begin.

Clinical relevance

Cervical screening tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) and abnormal cells from the transformation zone.

Structures next to the cervix of uterus

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Cervix of uterus (FMA17740). 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.

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