The uterus is a body organ found in a woman’s pelvis, above the vagina. Another name for it is the womb.

The uterus is where a woman’s egg, fertilised by male sperm, grows into a baby. Each month the lining of the uterus thickens in readiness for this.

Each month, from puberty to the menopause, one of the ovaries releases an egg, which travels down one of the fallopian tubes to the uterus.

If the egg isn’t fertilised, the thickened lining of the uterus breaks down and leaves the body. This is what is happening when a woman has her monthly period.

The wall of the uterus is made of a thick layer of muscle called the myometrium. The lining of the inside of the uterus is called the endometrium. Most uterine cancers start in this lining.

The entrance to the uterus is called the cervix. A different type of cancer (cervical cancer) can start here. The cervix is linked to a short tube called the vagina (front passage, or birth canal). This tube leads to the outside of the body.