Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Broad Ligaments

Morgan E. Craig  1 , Sneha Sudanagunta  2 , Megan Billow  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Broad Ligaments

Morgan E. Craig et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The broad ligament of the uterus is a double-layer fold of the peritoneum that attaches the lateral portions of the uterus to the lateral pelvic sidewalls. The broad ligament is divided into the mesometrium (the largest portion), the mesosalpinx (mesentery of the uterine [fallopian] tubes), and the mesovarium (connects the ovaries to the broad ligament). The broad ligament contains the following structures:

  1. Fallopian tubes

  2. Ovaries

  3. Ovarian arteries

  4. Uterine arteries

  5. Round ligaments

  6. Suspensory (infundibulopelvic) ligaments

  7. Ovarian ligaments

The broad ligament of the uterus serves as mesentery to the female pelvic organs and contains blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Morgan Craig declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Sneha Sudanagunta declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Megan Billow declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Selçuk İ, Yassa M, Tatar İ, Huri E. Anatomic structure of the internal iliac artery and its educative dissection for peripartum and pelvic hemorrhage. Turk J Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Jun;15(2):126-129. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramesh B, Chaithra TM, Prasanna G. Laparoscopic Transabdominal Cervical Cerclage by Broad Ligament Window Technique. Gynecol Minim Invasive Ther. 2018 Jul-Sep;7(3):139-140. - PMC - PubMed
    1. El-Agwany AS. Huge Broad Ligament Fibroid with Paracervical Extension: A Safe Approach by Same Setting Myomectomy before Hysterectomy. J Med Ultrasound. 2018 Jan-Mar;26(1):45-47. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chaudhry SR, Chaudhry K. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2023. Jul 24, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Uterus Round Ligament. - PubMed
    1. Haya N, Feiner B, Baessler K, Christmann-Schmid C, Maher C. Perioperative interventions in pelvic organ prolapse surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Aug 19;8(8):CD013105. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources