Female reproductive physiology

Question 1

name the main reproductive organs (4)

Answer 1

ovary (in pelvis with ovarian follicles)
fallopian tubes (fertilisation)
uterus (base of implantation)
cervix ( opening into the uterus)

uterus communicates externally via the vagina

Question 2

What is the surface of the ovary made of?

Answer 2

connective tissue capsule covered with layer of simple cuboidal epithelium

Question 3

the inner structure of the ovary consists of?

Answer 3

the cortex

Question 4

What is the cortex? what does it have in it?

Answer 4

peripheral part, connective tissue containing ovarian follicles (one oocyte surrounded by single layer of cells)

Question 5

what follicles are in the cortex

Answer 5

primordial follicles

Question 6

the central part of the ovary is known as? what is in this part?

Answer 6

Medulla

- has the connective tissues for which the blood vessels supplying the ovaries run

Question 7

In the ovary - what is oocyte production?, how many eggs will ovulate in an entire reproductive life span?

Answer 7

One mature egg per menstrual cycle, around 400 ovulated during entire reproductive lifespan
Majority of eggs perish during the cycle
Finite number, declines with increasing age

Question 8

what hormones does the ovary produce?

Answer 8

Estrogen develops female secondary sexual characters (breasts, pubic hair)
Progesterone prepares endometrium for implantation

Question 9

50% of testosterone produced by ovaries before?

Answer 9

menopause

Question 10

Fetal life - cells are frozen until?

Answer 10

Primordial germ cell mitosis in fetal life only and primordial follicles arrested in the stage of first meiotic division until puberty

Question 11

When does the first meiotic division complete?

Answer 11

First meiotic division complete and second division starts after puberty and leads to release of one secondary oocyte in a menstrual cycle which is capable of fertilisation

Question 12

When does the 2ND meiotic division complete?

Answer 12

Second meiotic division completes after fertilisation of oocyte with sperm

Question 13

Why does oogenesis stop and restart?

• second meiotic division completed when?

Answer 13

halving of the nuclear compliment (chromosome number halved)

• the mature egg should only 23 chromosome number so that it can fertilise with the sperm

Question 14

before birth what are makes up the ovarian ?

Answer 14

primordial follicles pool from the germ cell

Question 15

in an ovarian cycle what does the dominant follicle go on to do?
what happens to the other eggs?

Answer 15

out of the group, the dominant follicle carries on the process of going from a primary to secondary follicles

the eggs perish

Question 16

What are the 4 Follicular development stages? briefly describe the stages?

Answer 16

PRIMORDIAL FOLLICLES - primary oocyte arrested in first meiotic division surrounded by one layer of squamous pre granulosa cells.

PRIMARY FOLLICLE- oocyte surrounded by zona and cuboidal granulosa cells

SECONDARY follicle- increased oocyte diameter and multiple layer of granulosa cells, resumption of first meiotic division

TERTIARY /Graffian follicle- follicular fluid between the cells which coalesce to form antrum, completion of first meiotic division to form secondary oocyte and start of second meiotic division.

Question 17

Primordial cells are activated by?

Answer 17

hormones

Question 18

squamous cells to cuboidal cells in what follicle?

Answer 18

primary

Question 19

prenatal phase includes what?

Answer 19

oogonia, primordial, primary and secondary

Question 20

Antral phase incldues?

Answer 20

Tertiary and preovulatory

Question 21

What forms the antrum?

Answer 21

follicular fluid between the cells which coalesce

Question 22

Before birth what division is there?

Answer 22

mitosis - produces primary oocyte (arrests in prophase 1)

Question 23

After puberty, what process begins? where does the secondary oocyte arrest?

What happens after the oocyte arrests

Answer 23

meiosis - the secondary oocyte arrests in metaphase II)

ovualtion - sperm entry

Question 24

the secondary oocyte gets most of what compared to the polar body?

Answer 24

nuclear component

goes on for more meiosis to fertilization