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
maturing primary oocyte will become a
secondary follicle
cells near the oocyte in a secondary follicle
secrete liquor folliculi that accumulates within follicle and forms large antrum
the growing antrum causes the secondary follicle to
become a Graafian follicle
primary oocyte resumes
Meiosis and completes reduction division, which forms large secondary oocyte and smaller, non-functional first polar body
the Graafian follicle ruptures and
expels secondary oocyte and polar body from the ovary
if a sperm penetrates the wall of a secondary oocyte
Meiosis II will be completed which forms a large haploid ovum and a smaller, non-functional second polar body
the empty Graafian follicle
remains in the ovary and gets transformed into a corpus luteum, which produces high levels of progesterone and some estradiol until it eventually degenerates to form a corpus albicans
sexual arousal in a female is triggered by
various olfactory, visual, tactile, and/or mental stimuli that cause the limbic system in the cerebrum to “turn on” her sex drive
signals sent to the vagina
cause Bartholin’s glands to secrete lubricating mucus near vaginal orifice to prepare for sexual intercourse
blood flow to the external genitalia
increases during sexual arousal- causes clitoris to become erect
blood supply to the breasts
increases during sexual arousal- causes nipples to become erect and sensitive
stimulation of the nipples and/or clitoris leads to the
plateau phase
sex flush
skin becomes redder because of increased blood flow
effect on vagina during the plateau phase
vagina swells with blood and becomes sensitive
- forms orgasmic platform that changes vagina’s shape; creates cavity to prevent sperm leakage
breasts during the plateau phase
increase in size
continued stimulation of the clitoris may culminate in an
orgasm with a release of tension
strong rhythmic contractions in muscles of perineum spread to
walls of vagina and uterus; occur every 0.8 to 1.0 second for as long as 15 seconds
“female ejaculation”
some women secrete large amounts of fluid from Skene’s glands during climax and experience “female ejaculation”
female refractory period
a female has no refractory period during resolution, so she could experience multiple orgasms as long as sexual stimulation continues
body returns to its pre-arousal state in resolution
orgasmic platform relaxes and cervix returns to its original position in vagina to make contact with semen
