[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Embryology](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/) › [Urogenital system](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/#a-urogenital) › Genital ducts: Wolffian (mesonephric) and Müllerian (paramesonephric)

[Embryology](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/) · [Urogenital system](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/#a-urogenital)

# Genital ducts: Wolffian (mesonephric) and Müllerian (paramesonephric)

- Embryonic structure

Every embryo has two pairs of genital ducts; males keep one pair, females the other, and the lost pair leaves small remnants.

Updated 2026-11-01

**See it in 3D:** [Uterine tubes](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/uterine-tube/) · [Body of uterus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/body-of-uterus/) · [Cervix](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/cervix-of-uterus/) · [Vagina](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vagina/) · [Ductus deferens](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/ductus-deferens/) · [Epididymis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/epididymis/) · [Seminal vesicles](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/seminal-gland/)

## Key points

- Wolffian in males: epididymis, ductus deferens, seminal vesicle and ejaculatory duct (testosterone).
- Müllerian in females: uterine tubes, uterus, cervix and upper vagina.
- Fusion of the caudal Müllerian ducts forms the uterovaginal canal; the septum between them must resorb.
- The lower vagina comes from the urogenital sinus (sinovaginal bulbs).
- Remnants: appendix testis and prostatic utricle (Müllerian in males); Gartner duct cyst, epoophoron and paroophoron (Wolffian in females).
- The ureteric bud comes from the Wolffian duct in both sexes: Müllerian anomalies go with kidney anomalies.

## What it is

By week 6 every embryo has two pairs of ducts: the mesonephric (Wolffian) and the paramesonephric (Müllerian). Testosterone keeps the Wolffian ducts and anti-Müllerian hormone erases the Müllerian ones; without those hormones the opposite happens. Knowing what each duct gives, and what remnant it leaves, explains Gartner cysts, the appendix testis and uterine malformations.

## Key facts

- Week 6: the Müllerian ducts appear as an infolding of coelomic epithelium, lateral to the Wolffian ducts.
- Weeks 8–10: AMH makes the Müllerian ducts regress in males.
- The cranial mesonephric tubules form the efferent ductules of the testis.
- The Müllerian ducts need the Wolffian duct as a guide to elongate.
- HOXA10 (uterus) and HOXA13 (cervix and vagina) give each segment its identity.

## Structure

- Mesonephric (Wolffian) duct: arises from the mesonephros and opens into the cloaca.
- Paramesonephric (Müllerian) duct: a cranial part open to the coelom (future infundibulum), a horizontal part that crosses the Wolffian duct and a caudal part that fuses in the midline.
- Sinusal (Müllerian) tubercle: where the fused ducts touch the urogenital sinus.

## What it becomes

- Male: epididymis, ductus deferens, seminal vesicle, ejaculatory duct and efferent ductules.
- Female: uterine tubes, uterus, cervix and upper third of the vagina.
- Both sexes: ureter, renal pelvis and collecting ducts (ureteric bud of the Wolffian duct) and the bladder trigone.

## Embryonic duct or tubule → male derivative → female derivative (remnants in brackets)

| Primordium | Male | Female |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mesonephric (Wolffian) duct | Epididymis, ductus deferens, seminal vesicle, ejaculatory duct | (Gartner duct or cyst) |
| Cranial mesonephric tubules | Efferent ductules | (Epoophoron) |
| Caudal mesonephric tubules | (Paradidymis) | (Paroophoron) |
| Paramesonephric (Müllerian) duct | (Appendix testis) | Tubes, uterus, cervix, upper vagina |
| Fused caudal Müllerian ducts | (Prostatic utricle) | Uterus and cervix |
| Ureteric bud (from Wolffian duct) | Ureter, pelvis, calyces, collecting ducts | Ureter, pelvis, calyces, collecting ducts |

## Markers

- AMH
- WNT4
- HOXA10
- HOXA13

## Clinical notes

- Failure of Müllerian fusion or septal resorption: uterus didelphys, bicornuate or septate uterus.
- Müllerian agenesis (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome): no uterus or upper vagina, normal ovaries.
- Gartner duct cyst: a cyst in the lateral vaginal wall.
- Torsion of the appendix testis: acute scrotal pain in boys, sometimes with the “blue dot sign”.
- Congenital absence of the ductus deferens: common in cystic fibrosis (CFTR).

## Memory aid

“Wolff is the wolf, kept by the male; Müller sounds like mother, kept by the female.” The lost duct leaves only a souvenir: an appendix or a cyst.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which embryonic duct forms the uterus and uterine tubes?

The paramesonephric (Müllerian) duct; its fused caudal ends form the uterus and cervix.

## What remnant does the Wolffian duct leave in females, and where?

The Gartner duct, which can form a cyst in the lateral vaginal wall; the epoophoron and paroophoron also remain in the mesosalpinx.

## Why do Müllerian anomalies go with kidney anomalies?

The ureteric bud arises from the Wolffian duct, and the Müllerian ducts need the Wolffian duct as a guide; one shared failure affects both.

## Which male structure next to the testis is a Müllerian remnant?

The appendix testis, at its upper pole; the prostatic utricle is the caudal remnant.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/embryology/genital-ducts-wolffian-and-mullerian/)

## See it in 3D

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it is found.

- [Uterine tubes](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/uterine-tube/)
- [Body of uterus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/body-of-uterus/)
- [Cervix](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/cervix-of-uterus/)
- [Vagina](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vagina/)
- [Ductus deferens](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/ductus-deferens/)
- [Epididymis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/epididymis/)
- [Seminal vesicles](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/seminal-gland/)

## Related

- [Sex determination: SRY, anti-Müllerian hormone and testosterone](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/sex-determination-sry-anti-mullerian-hormone-and-testosterone/)
- [Gonads and the descent of the testis](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/gonads-and-the-descent-of-the-testis/)
- [Kidney: pronephros, mesonephros, metanephros and ascent](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/kidney-pronephros-mesonephros-metanephros-and-ascent/)
- [Uterine anomalies: bicornuate, septate, didelphys, Müllerian agenesis](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/uterine-anomalies-bicornuate-septate-didelphys-mullerian-agenesis/)
- [Differences of sex development: CAH, AIS and 5α-reductase](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/differences-of-sex-development-cah-ais-and-5-reductase/)
- [Androgens, diethylstilbestrol and other hormones](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/androgens-diethylstilbestrol-and-other-hormones/)
- [External genitalia and their male–female homologues](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/external-genitalia-and-their-male-female-homologues/)

[← All of embryology](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/)

Educational content on embryonic development; not a guide to prenatal diagnosis or to medicines in pregnancy and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [Embryology, Sexual Development - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557601/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2023); [Embryology, Genitourinary - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559309/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2023).

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/embryology/genital-ducts-wolffian-and-mullerian/