Morphological characteristics of the cervix in domestic sows.

Artificial insemination is commonly practiced in several domestic animals, including sows. Postcervical insemination is used to increase the fertility index, given that the volume of semen is optimized. Knowledge of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the genital tract can be used to improve our understanding of the fertilization process that occurs during artificial insemination, and possibly to improve the technique. The aim of our study was to examine the gross morphology and histological properties of the cervix of recently slaughtered multiparous sows, using different stains. The results indicate that the porcine cervix has two regions: a uterine region characterized by the presence of glandular acini, and a vaginal region with a large vascular network. Both regions showed a mixed secretory activity by epithelial cells, which produced sulfated mucins (mucous secretion), intermingled with abundant glycogen-rich cells (serous secretion). This study contributes to the understanding of the morphologic features of the porcine cervix.