The womb

The womb, or uterus, is the place in a woman's body where a baby grows before being born. It is a muscular, pear-shaped organ at the top of the vagina. The lining of the womb is called the endometrium and is shed each month, as a period. These periods stop temporarily during pregnancy, but will normally continue until a woman has the menopause. Cancer that starts in the womb lining is called endometrial or womb cancer.

Cancer that starts in the muscle layers of the womb is called uterine sarcoma; this type of cancer is discussed in in our section about soft tissue sarcomas.

The position of the womb (uterus)

The lower part of the womb is called the cervix, or sometimes 'the neck of the womb'. We have separate information on cancer of the cervix|.

Close to the womb there are collections of lymph nodes. These are small glands, about the size of a bean. The lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system.  

The lymphatic system is part of the immune system − the body’s natural defence against infection and disease. It is a complex system made up of organs such as bone marrow, the thymus, the spleen, and lymph nodes. The lymph nodes throughout the body are connected by a network of tiny lymphatic ducts.