Pelvic cavity

Pelvic cavity
The various cavities of the human body as seen in a frontal projection, with the pelvic cavity labeled 4.
The various cavities of the human body as seen in a lateral projection, with the pelvic cavity labeled 4.
Details
Artery	Ovarian artery, internal iliac artery, median sacral artery
Vein	Internal iliac vein, internal pudendal vein, vesical vein
Nerve	Inferior hypogastric plexus
Lymph	Primarily internal iliac lymph nodes
Identifiers
Latin	cavitas pelvis
TA98	A02.5.02.002
TA2	1283
FMA	9738
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

Male pelvis.

Female pelvis.

The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the pelvic inlet (the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor.

The pelvic cavity primarily contains the reproductive organs, urinary bladder, distal ureters, proximal urethra, terminal sigmoid colon, rectum, and anal canal. In females, the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries and upper vagina occupy the area between the other viscera.^[1][2]

The rectum is located at the back of the pelvis, in the curve of the sacrum and coccyx; the bladder is in front, behind the pubic symphysis. The pelvic cavity also contains major arteries, veins, muscles, and nerves. These structures coexist in a crowded space, and disorders of one pelvic component may impact upon another; for example, constipation may overload the rectum and compress the urinary bladder, or childbirth might damage the pudendal nerves and later lead to anal weakness.