Female Reproductive Physiology Flashcards
Female puberty
anatomical and physiological changes in a girls body are controlled by hormones that lead to sexual maturity typically beginning at age 10 or 11 and ending between ages 15 and 17
with the onset of puberty
GnRH is released from the hypothalamus and triggers the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland to produce and release two gonadotropins
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
travels from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland through the blood to the ovaries to stimulate follicle cells to divide
follicle cells
produce and release estrogens to stimulate maturation of an oocyte
Luteinizing hormone (LH)
travels from the anterior lobe of the pituiatry gland through the blood to the ovaries where it stimulates the differentiation of cells in a developing follicle and eventually triggers ovulation
estrogens and progesterone are mainly involved in
the development of the female reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics, but testosterone also plays a role
adrenal testosterone
initiates growth spurt and causes pubic hair to appear
estrogens
cause breast development and maturation of ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina
external genitalia reach
physical maturity
menarche
typically occurs around age 12 or 13, provided that girl possess at least 17% body fat
first ovulation
typically occurs around the age of 14
adipose tissues
deposited in the mons pubis, hips, thighs, buttocks, and breasts
sebaceous glands
begin to secrete more sebum and create acne problems
vocal cords
change in length and thickness causing voice quality to change
oogenesis
the process by which haploid oocytes are produced in the ovaries
timeline of oogenesis
begins before birth, pauses during childhood, accelerats at puberty, occurs on a monthly basis until female goes through menopause
primordial germ cells (PGC)
migrate to developing overy during embryonic development, where they become enclosed in a layer of cells and form a primordial follicle
each primordial follicle contains
a diploid oogonium
oogonia
do not undergo mitosis, so number of eggs that a female will produce during her life is established before birth and continually declines
an oogonium grows within its primordial follicle
and becomes a primary oocyte, which causes the primordial follicle to become a primary follicle
primary oocyte
starts meiosis but process is suspended during prophase I
with the onset of puberty, several primary follicles
will start to develop each month
how many primary follicles mature
only one to three primary follicles will actually mature, while the rest degenerate
follicle cells in puberty
change shape and divide repeatedly to form layers of granulosa cells around a primary oocyte; they produce and secrete jelly-like zona pellucida between granulosa cells and primary oocyte