Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (690 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The hollow thick-walled muscular organ in the female pelvis. It consists of the fundus which is the site of embryo implantation and fetal development. Beyond the isthmus at the perineal end of fundus, is cervix uteri (the neck) opening into vagina. Beyond the isthmi at the upper abdominal end of fundus, are the fallopian tubes.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Womb; Wombs; Uteri; Uterine Fundus; Fundus, Uterine; Fundus Uteri; Fundus Uterus; Uteri, Fundus.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Genitalia, Female
- Narrower topics
- Cervix Uteri; Endometrium; Myometrium
- See also
- Hysterectomy; Hysterosalpingography; Hysteroscopy
Related concepts
- Pelvis
- Embryo Implantation
- Fetal Development
- Cervix Uteri
- Vagina
- Fallopian Tubes
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 132,768 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Uterus” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 15,744 of them (11.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 72,051 records.
Reviews account for 10,225 records (7.7%) and meta-analyses for 553. Randomized controlled trials number 2,712 (2.0%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 72,051 |
| 2000-2009 | 21,833 |
| 2010-2019 | 23,140 |
| 2020 onward | 15,744 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 10,225 | 7.7% |
| Meta-analyses | 553 | 0.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2,712 | 2.0% |
Method: PubMed query "Uterus"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endometriosis-related alterations in the endometrium revealed by integrated single-cell and AI-powered approaches | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42161907 · DOI · PMC13385355 |
| The TGF-βR1 inhibitor galunisertib re-shapes the PDAC-TME by limiting decidual-like natural killer cells polarization | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41916960 · DOI · PMC13276068 |
| Endometrial Epithelial Lactate Deficiency Drives CD8+ T-Cells Dysregulation in Unexplained Recurrent Implantation Failure | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41758694 · DOI · PMC13159129 |
Endometriosis-related alterations in the endometrium revealed by integrated single-cell and AI-powered approaches [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Endometriosis, affecting 1 in 9 women, presents treatment and diagnostic challenges.
- Closing excerpt
- Our models, while not yet externally validated, can serve as a tool for hypothesis generation and starting point for further clinical development.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (176 words)
Endometriosis, affecting 1 in 9 women, presents treatment and diagnostic challenges. To address these issues, we generated a comprehensive single-cell atlas of endometrial tissue, comprising 466,371 cells from 35 endometriosis and 25 non-endometriosis donors without exogenous hormonal treatment. Detailed analysis reveals significant gene expression changes and altered receptor-ligand interactions present in the endometrium of endometriosis patients, including increased inflammation, adhesion, proliferation, cell survival, and angiogenesis in various cell types. These alterations may enhance endometriosis lesion formation and identify potential therapeutic targets. Using ScaiVision, we trained neural network models to predict endometriosis of varying disease severity (median AUC = 0.83), including one model based solely on a set of 11 genes confirmed as dysregulated in endometriosis patients through differential expression analysis. In conclusion, our findings reveal numerous pathway and ligand-receptor changes in the endometrium of endometriosis patients, offering insights into pathophysiology, potential targets for improved treatments, and predictive models for enhanced outcomes in endometriosis management. Our models, while not yet externally validated, can serve as a tool for hypothesis generation and starting point for further clinical development.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42161907 · DOI · PMC13385355
The TGF-βR1 inhibitor galunisertib re-shapes the PDAC-TME by limiting decidual-like natural killer cells polarization [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide.
- Closing excerpt
- GAL-treatment emerges as immunomodulator able in re-educating pro-tumor NKs cells in PDAC.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (300 words)
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Natural Killer (NKs) cells are pivotal for tumor surveillance but are dysfunctional in PDAC. We evaluated whether pharmacological blockade of TGF-β1/TGF-βR1 axis in PDAC cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) could modulate NK polarization via soluble factors. The phenotype/functions of NKs from PDAC patients versus healthy controls (HC) were compared, and the polarization state of NKs exposed to the conditioned media of PDAC cells and fibroblasts was evaluated by flow cytometry. The ability of galunisertib (GAL) to reverse NK dysfunction in immunocompetent mice orthotopically implanted with FC1199 PDAC cells was evaluated. PDAC patients showed higher TGF-β1/ TGF-βR1 levels than HC, with worse outcomes in TGF-β1high/TGF-βR1high patients. Circulating CD9+ NKs were expanded in PDAC patients compared with HC and exhibited a pro-angiogenic secretome and higher pro-angiogenic activities in vitro and in vivo (leech Hirudo verbana), compared to the CD9- NK cells. PDAC cells and CAF induced a CD9+-decidual-like phenotype, also impairing NK degranulation. GAL treatment restrains PDAC cell/CAF-induced NK anergy, restoring their cytotoxicity. Also, TGFβ-R1 knockdown in PDAC cells exhibited the capability to limit the generation of decidual-like NKs, while restoring their antitumor ability, via soluble factors. Secretome profiling of BxPC3 and MIAPaCA2 PDAC cell lines and CAFs showed that GAL downregulated the release of several growth, angiogenic, and immunoregulatory factors, including FGF2, HGF, IL11, PLGF, EGFR, and VEGF. In vivo in orthotopic tumors formed by FC1199 cells GAL decreased CD9+-NK frequency, promoted M1-macrophage polarization, and activated NK and CD8+T-cells, together with a significant reduction of tumor weight, fibrosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. Our study identifies CD9+NKs as a novel cell subset expanded in PDAC and underscores the role of TGF-β1/TGF-βR1 signalling in promoting a pro-tumoral NKs. GAL-treatment emerges as immunomodulator able in re-educating pro-tumor NKs cells in PDAC.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41916960 · DOI · PMC13276068
Endometrial Epithelial Lactate Deficiency Drives CD8+ T-Cells Dysregulation in Unexplained Recurrent Implantation Failure [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Recurrent implantation failure (RIF), characterized by repeated failure to achieve clinical pregnancy after embryo transfer, is often associated with abnormal endometrial conditions.
- Closing excerpt
- We propose that the endometria of patients with unexplained RIF fail to establish proper immune balance toward the embryo, likely due to abnormal glycolysis and reduced lactate production in the glandular epithelium.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (214 words)
Recurrent implantation failure (RIF), characterized by repeated failure to achieve clinical pregnancy after embryo transfer, is often associated with abnormal endometrial conditions. However, unexplained RIF is unique in that its underlying cause remains largely unknown, posing a challenge for both clinicians and patients. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing and reported that the endometria of patients with unexplained RIF exhibited increased the proliferation and activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells, which hinder embryo implantation. Additionally, the glandular epithelium, which has the highest metabolic activity, showed abnormal glycolysis and reduced lactate production in RIF. Specifically, the endometrial expression of genes associated with glucose uptake (SLC2A1), glucose metabolism (ALDOA), lactate production (LDHA), and lactate output (SLC16A3) were lower in the patients with unexplained RIF than in the controls. Through uterine horn injection experiments in mice, we demonstrated that inhibiting lactate production in the endometrium prevents embryo implantation and that this effect could be reversed by lactate supplementation. Moreover, lactate inhibitors did not affect implantation in mice with CD8+ T-cells depletion. In vitro experiments also confirmed that lactate inhibition affects the proliferation and activation of CD8+ T-cells. We propose that the endometria of patients with unexplained RIF fail to establish proper immune balance toward the embryo, likely due to abnormal glycolysis and reduced lactate production in the glandular epithelium.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41758694 · DOI · PMC13159129
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Cervical human papillomavirus prevalence in 5 continents: meta-analysis of 1 million women with normal cytological findings [4]
- Research article Endometrial thickness and pregnancy rates after IVF: a systematic review and meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Conventional and modern markers of endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article What is the optimal means of preparing the endometrium in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles? A systematic review and meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Meta-signature of human endometrial receptivity: a meta-analysis and validation study of transcriptomic biomarkers [8]
- Research article p16(INK4a) immunostaining in cytological and histological specimens from the uterine cervix: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Duempelmann L, Sheppard S, McKinnon B, Duo A, Skrabalova J, Andrieu T, et al.. Endometriosis-related alterations in the endometrium revealed by integrated single-cell and AI-powered approaches. . 2026. PMID 42161907 · DOI · PMC13385355
- Cucchiara M, Palano MT, Rubuano C, De Antoni G, Gallazzi M, Mercatelli D, et al.. The TGF-βR1 inhibitor galunisertib re-shapes the PDAC-TME by limiting decidual-like natural killer cells polarization. . 2026. PMID 41916960 · DOI · PMC13276068
- He Y, Ke K, Meng Q, Guan Y, Tan J, Lv H, et al.. Endometrial Epithelial Lactate Deficiency Drives CD8+ T-Cells Dysregulation in Unexplained Recurrent Implantation Failure. . 2026. PMID 41758694 · DOI · PMC13159129
- Bruni L, Diaz M, Castellsagué X, Ferrer E, Bosch FX, de Sanjosé S. Cervical human papillomavirus prevalence in 5 continents: meta-analysis of 1 million women with normal cytological findings. J Infect Dis. 2010. PMID 21067372 · DOI
- Kasius A, Smit JG, Torrance HL, Eijkemans MJ, Mol BW, Opmeer BC, et al.. Endometrial thickness and pregnancy rates after IVF: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2014. PMID 24664156 · DOI
- Craciunas L, Gallos I, Chu J, Bourne T, Quenby S, Brosens JJ, et al.. Conventional and modern markers of endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2019. PMID 30624659 · DOI
- Groenewoud ER, Cantineau AE, Kollen BJ, Macklon NS, Cohlen BJ. What is the optimal means of preparing the endometrium in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2013. PMID 23820515 · DOI
- Altmäe S, Koel M, Võsa U, Adler P, Suhorutšenko M, Laisk-Podar T, et al.. Meta-signature of human endometrial receptivity: a meta-analysis and validation study of transcriptomic biomarkers. Sci Rep. 2017. PMID 28855728 · DOI · PMC5577343
- Tsoumpou I, Arbyn M, Kyrgiou M, Wentzensen N, Koliopoulos G, Martin-Hirsch P, et al.. p16(INK4a) immunostaining in cytological and histological specimens from the uterine cervix: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Treat Rev. 2009. PMID 19261387 · DOI · PMC2784486
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.