Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
STRETCH Laboratory,
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Mechanical Properties of
and Mechanics,
330A Kelly Hall,
Virginia Tech,
Female Reproductive Organs
Blacksburg, VA 24061
and Supporting Connective
Jeffrey McGuire
STRETCH Laboratory,
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tissues: A Review of the Current
and Mechanics,
330A Kelly Hall,
Virginia Tech,
State of Knowledge
Blacksburg, VA 24061 Although there has been an upsurge of interest in research on women’s sexual and repro-
ductive health, most of the research has remained confined to the obstetrics and gynecol-
Ting Tan ogy disciplines, without knowledge flow to the biomechanics community. Thus, the
STRETCH Laboratory, mechanics of the female reproductive system and the changes determined by pregnancy,
Department of Biomedical Engineering age, obesity, and various medical conditions have not been thoroughly studied. In recent
and Mechanics, years, more investigators have been focusing their efforts on evaluating the mechanical
330A Kelly Hall, properties of the reproductive organs and supportive connective tissues, but, despite the
Virginia Tech, many advances, there is still a lot that remains to be done. This paper provides an over-
Blacksburg, VA 24061 view of the research published over the past few decades on the mechanical characteriza-
tion of the primary female reproductive organs and supporting connective tissues. For
Raffaella De Vita each organ and tissue, after a brief description of the function and structure, the testing
STRETCH Laboratory, methods and main mechanical results are presented. Constitutive equations are then
Department of Biomedical Engineering reviewed for all organs/tissues together. The goal is to spark the interest of new investi-
and Mechanics, gators to this largely untapped but fast-evolving branch of soft tissue mechanics that will
330A Kelly Hall, impact women’s gynecologic, reproductive, and sexual health care.
Virginia Tech, [DOI: 10.1115/1.4034442]
Blacksburg, VA 24061
e-mail: devita@vt.edu