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Fundus of uterus: anatomy, location and function

The fundus is the rounded top of the uterus. It is part of the upper muscular segment that contracts most strongly in labour.

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Highlighted in the model: Fundus 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.

Fundus of uterus at a glance

What it is
The fundus is the rounded top of the uterus.
Location
It lies above the points where the uterine tubes enter the uterus (the uterine horns).
Function
It is part of the upper muscular segment that contracts most strongly in labour.
Body system
Reproductive · single, midline structure · female body
FMA ID
FMA17561 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • In pregnancy the height of the fundus is measured to follow fetal growth; it reaches the umbilicus at about 20 weeks.
  • Implantation usually occurs in the upper body or fundus, often on the posterior wall.
  • In the model the uterine horns (cornua), where the tubes join, are included with the fundus.

Clinical relevance

Placental site and fundal height are checked at antenatal visits; a fundus that is too high or too low for dates prompts an ultrasound scan.

Structures next to the fundus of uterus

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Fundus of uterus (FMA17561). 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.