| Müllerian duct | ||
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| Urogenital sinus of female human embryo of eight and a half to nine weeks old. | ||
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| Tail end of human embryo, from eight and a half to nine weeks old. | ||
| Latin | d. paramesonephricus | |
| Gray's | subject #252 1206 | |
| Carnegie stage | 17 | |
| Precursor | Intermediate mesoderm | |
| MeSH | Mullerian+Ducts | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | d_29/12315002 | |
The Müllerian ducts (or paramesonephric ducts) are paired ducts of the embryo which run down the lateral sides of the urogenital ridge and terminate at the mullerian eminence in the primitive urogenital sinus. In the female, it will develop to form the fallopian tubes, uterus, and the upper portion of the vagina. It is tissue of mesodermal origin.
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Regulation of development
The development of the Müllerian ducts is controlled by the presence or absence of "AMH", or Anti-müllerian hormone (also known as "MIF" for "Müllerian inhibiting factor", or "MIH" for "Müllerian inhibiting hormone").
| male embryogenesis | The testes produce AMH and as a result the development of the Müllerian ducts is inhibited. | Disturbances can lead to persistent müllerian duct syndrome. | The ducts disappear except for the vestigial vagina masculina and the appendix testis. |
| female embryogenesis | The absence of AMH results in the development of female reproductive organs, as noted above. | Disturbance in the development may result in uterine absence (Mullerian agenesis) or uterine malformations. | The ducts develop into the upper vagina, cervix, uterus and oviducts. |
Eponym
They are named after Johannes Peter Müller, a physiologist who described these ducts in his text "Bildungsgeschichte der Genitalien" in 1830.
Additional images
 Enlarged view from the front of the left Wolffian body before the establishment of the distinction of sex. |
 Transverse section of human embryo eight and a half to nine weeks old. |
See also
- Defeminization
- prostatic utricle
- List of homologues of the human reproductive system
- Sexual differentiation
- Wolffian duct
External links
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| General Urinary/Reproductive system | Cloacal membrane - Cloaca - Urethral groove - Urogenital sinus - Urachus - Urogenital folds |
| Kidney development | Nephrogenic cord - Nephrotome - Pronephros - Mesonephros (Mesonephric tubules) Ureteric bud - Metanephric blastema |
| Fetal genital development - primarily internal | Gonadal ridge - Sex cord (Cortical cords, Testis cords) Pronephric duct/Wolffian duct/mesonephric duct - Müllerian duct/paramesonephric ducts (Vaginal plate) |
| Primarily external | Genital tubercle - Phallus - Labioscrotal folds Gubernaculum - Processus vaginalis |
| see also list of homologues of the human reproductive system | |
