Exam I Flashcards
Female Histo: The ovary is an almond-shaped structure that produces the female gonads (oocytes). It is an endocrine organ that releases estrogen and progesterone.
It is attached to the uterus via the ____1___, and is a subdivision of the ___2____.
- ovarian ligament
2. broad ligament
Female Histo: There are two sources of blood supply to the ovary:
- _______, which arise from the abdominal aorta. They enter the ovary via the suspensory ligament and serve as the main arterial supply to the ovary and uterine tube.
- ______ arise from the internal iliac arteries and enter the ovary at the hilum. They become helicine/spiral arteries. These arteries anastamose with #1.
- Ovarian arteries
- Ovarian branches of uterine arteries
**uterine tube supplied by ovarian (lateral 1/3) and uterine (medial 2/3)
Female Histo: Venous drainage of ovaries and the uterine tube occur via the _________ in the broad ligament. The veins then merge to form a single ovarian vein.
Pampiniform plexus
- Rt. ovarian vein: IVC
- Left ovarian: Left renal vein
Female Histo: True/False - Venous drainage of the uterine tube is via
Ovarian veins (Lateral 1/3) and Uterine venous plexys
Female Histo: Innervation of the ovary and uterine tube is via
- Ovarian plexus
- Uterine plexus
These are mixed autonomic plexuses containing autonomic (PNS, SNS) and sensory stimuli. In addition, visceral afferent pain fibers follow PNS fibers to ______ spinal ganglia.
T11-L1
Female Histo: The ovaries are composed of cortex (outer region w/ ovarian follicles), and medulla (central region w/ loss CT, blood vessels, lymph, and nerves).
The ovaries are covered by a single layer of cuboidal to squamous cells known as ______ epithelium, which is continuous with mesothelium. Before puberty, this surface is smooth, but after puberty, it becomes scarred and irregular (repeated ovulations).
Germinal epithelium
NOTE: tunica albuginea - dense CT b/t germinal epithelium and cortex
Female Histo: True/False - post-menopause, the ovaries will decrease to 1/4th the size of ovaries in reproductive years
true
Female Histo: Ovaries have two inter-related functions:
- To produce gametes (oocytes)
- To produce steroids (steroidogenesis)
Sex steroids include estrogen and progesterone. _____ is responsible for promoting growth and maturation of the internal and external sex organs. It is responsible for female sex characteristics (@ puberty), and promotes breast development.
Estrogen
*breasts: ductal/stromal growth and inc. adipose
Female Histo: Sex steroids include estrogen and progesterone.
Progestogens have which of the following functions?
a. prep internal sex organs (uterus) for pregnancy (endometrial changes)
b. prep mammary gland for lactation (lobular proliferation)
c. enhance pubic hair development
d. promotes female characteristics at puberty
A and B
Female Histo: Ovarian follicles vary in size. DIfferent sizes indicate different stages of oocyte development, however, each follicle contains a single oocyte.
True/False - Early stages of oogenesis occur during fetal life, then arrest at first meiotic division.
True
~5 million in fetus
- 20% of oocytes remain at birth (due to atresia)
- 6-12 follicles begin developing each cycle
Female Histo: Ovarian follicles vary in size. DIfferent sizes indicate different stages of oocyte development, however, each follicle contains a single oocyte.
List the follicle stages
- Primordial
- Primary
- -unilaminar
- -multilaminar - Secondary (antral)
- Mature or Graafian
Female Histo: Oocytes arrest at ______, where they remain in arrest until puberty and the LH surge.
Prophase I
*Meiotic inhibotory factor (oocyte maturation inhibitor) keeps oocytes arrested
Female histo: _______ are the earliest developing follicles that appear in the ovaries during the 3rd month of fetal development.
Primordial follicles
Female histo: At birth, the newborn girl has about 2 million oocytes. At puberty, the girl has 400,00 oocytes.
How many are left at ovulation?
400-450
*all others atretic
Female histo: The germinal epithelium is simple cuboidal. Tumors that arise from this layer represent ~70% of ovarian cancers.
True/False - One theory for the development of these tumors is the repeated ovulations and repeated needs for repair.
True
Female histo: During development, follicular cells become granulosa cells which change from squamous epithelium to cuboidal epithelium.
The oocyte begins to secrete _____ which acts on granulosa cells to induce proliferation and promotes formation of multi-layered granulosa cells that surround the oocyte.
Activin
Female histo: Granulosa cells continue to secrete OMI (oocyte maturation inhibitor) to keep the oocyte frozen in prophase I.
During this time, the oocyte begins to secrete the components of the zona pellucida, which gets deposited between the oocyte and the granulosa cells.
What is the importance of the ZP?
*generates fertilization-competent sperm
Female histo: As granulosa proliferation continues, fluid filled spaces appear between these cells. These eventually fuse to form _____
antrum/vesicle
- follicles with antrums are dependent on FSH
- prior to this stage, follicle development does NOT depend on FSH
Female Histo: True/False- Factors required for later stages of growth (secondary follicle and oocyte) include FSH, EGF, IGF-1 and calcium.
True
Female Histo: As the antrum develops, CT cells outside of the follicle become organized.
The theca interna is the inner layer of cells next to the follicle. It is highly vascularized and expresses _____ receptors. These are important for the synthesis and secretion of androstenedione.
LH receptors
- synthesize and secrete androstendione
- taken up by granulosa cells – converted to testosterone and then E2
Female Histo: LH stimulates _____ cells to secrete androstenedione, which is transported to the sER of the granulosa cells.
In response to FSH, the granulosa cells then convert androstenedione to testosterone, and then 17B estradial.
Theca interna cells
*E2 - induces proliferation of granulosa cells (inc. follicular size)
Female histo: The late secondary follicle is formed as the antrum continues to increase.
Some granulosa cells maintain intimate contact with the oocyte, ultimately forming the ______ which is released with the oocyte during ovulation.
corona radiata
Female Histo: Inc. E2 leads to inc. sensitization of basophils to GnRH and Inc. release of FSH/LH (surge).
24 hours prior to ovulation, surge in release of FSH/LH occurs. In response to LH, granulosa cells downregulate LH receptors, and no longer produce estrogen. This triggers the first
meiotic division (1st polar body and secondary oocyte)
*secondary oocyte arrested at metaphase of meiosis II
Female Histo: Following ovulation, the granulosa and theca cells undergo luteinization and _______ is produced
progesterone
*Theca lutein, granulosa lutein