=The bladder= is a sac of connective tissue which serves as a reservoir for the urine and is situated behind the symphysis pubis and in front of the uterus and vagina. Urine is conducted into the bladder by the _ureters_, two slender tubes running down on each side from the basin of the kidney across the pelvic brim to the upper part of the bladder, which they enter somewhat obliquely, at about the level of the cervix. It is thought that pressure of the enlarged pregnant uterus upon the ureters at this point may be one factor in the causation of pyelitis, a frequent complication of pregnancy. The bladder empties itself through the _urethra_, a short tube which terminates in the _meatus urinarius_, a tiny opening in the vulva. =The rectum=, the lowest segment of the intestinal tract, is situated in the pelvic cavity behind and to the left of the uterus and vagina. It extends downward from the sigmoid flexure of the colon to its termination in the anal opening. The _anus_ is a deeply pigmented, puckered opening situated an inch and a half or two inches behind the vagina. It is guarded by two bands of strong circular muscles, the _internal_ and _external sphincter ani_. The skin covering the surface of the body extends upward into the anus where it becomes highly vascular and merges into the mucous lining of the rectum. Pressure exerted during pregnancy by the enlarged uterus is felt in both the rectum and bladder, frequently causing a good deal of discomfort and almost painful desire to evacuate their contents. The blood vessels in the anal lining just within the external sphincter sometimes become engorged and inflamed, even bleeding during pregnancy, as a result of the pressure exerted by the greatly enlarged uterus. The distended blood vessels, which in this condition are called hemorrhoids, not infrequently protrude from the anus and become very painful. After having considered the structure and relative positions of the pelvic organs one is able to picture more clearly the arrangement and disposition of the _uterine ligaments_, all of which are formed by folds of the peritoneum. They are twelve in number, five pairs and two single ligaments, namely: two _broad_, two _round_, two _utero-sacral_, two _utero-vesical_, two _ovarian_, one _anterior_ and one _posterior_ ligament.