Cervix

The cervix is a tubular pathway between the vagina and the uterine body. The cervix produces mucus, which changes during the menstrual cycle to act as a barrier or a transport medium to sperms dependent on the viscosity of the mucus. The cervical pathway differs between pigs and humans, both in structure and composition. The pig cervix is longer, contains several alternating mucosal folds along the length of the cervix, called pulvini cervicales, and the tissue is more muscular than the human variant.

Microscopically, the cervix consists mainly of a thick wall of fibromuscular tissue, rich in smooth muscle, elastic fibers and blood vessels. It is covered by a combination of simple columnar, pseudostratified and stratified squamous epithelium that undergoes cyclical changes in composition during the different phases of the estrous cycle.