Female Reproductive System Flashcards
1
Q
What is an Oocyte?
A
The female gamete
2
Q
What are the ovaries?
A
The female gonads
3
Q
What does the female reproductive system do?
A
Produce gametes and hormones, as well as, support and deliver developing fetus
4
Q
What is the vulva?
A
The external reproductive structure of a female
5
Q
What is the labia minora?
A
The outer protection for the female reproductive system
6
Q
What does the labia minora protect?
A
The reproductive tract and the urethra
7
Q
What is the Clitoris made of?
A
The same cells as the glans penis, with abundant nerve innervation
8
Q
What is the vaginal canal for?
A
The exit for the baby and entrance for reproductive tract
9
Q
What is the hymen?
A
A thin membrane that partially covers the vagina
10
Q
What is the vagina?
A
A muscular canal
11
Q
What happens to the vagina during childbirth and intercourse?
A
It expands
12
Q
Why does the vagina have an acidic pH?
A
The vagina is a self cleaning organ
13
Q
How are the female gonads structured?
A
They are paired and the size of an almond
14
Q
What connects the ovaries to the uterus?
A
An ovarian ligament
15
Q
What covers the ovaries
A
The tunica albuginea
16
Q
What covers the tunica albuginea?
A
Superficial ovarian epithelium
17
Q
Where do the oocytes develop?
A
In the outer layer of the ovarian cortex
18
Q
What is a follicle?
A
Supporting cells surrounding the oocyte
19
Q
What does the ovarian medulla contain?
A
Blood vessels, lymph vessels, and nerves of the ovary
20
Q
How long is the ovarian cycle?
A
About 28 days
21
Q
True or False: The ovarian cycle and the menstrual cycle are not the same thing.
A
True
22
Q
When does the ovarian cycle happen?
A
During the reproductive years, after puberty and adolescence
23
Q
What are the two interrelated processes of the ovarian cycle?
A
Oogenesis and folliculogenesis
24
Q
What is folliculogenesis?
A
Growth and development of follicles
25
What is oogenesis?
The production of the female gamete
26
When does oogenesis start?
Before the female is born/while the female is a fetus
27
What are the three phases of the ovarian cycle?
Follicular phase, ovulation, and luteal phase
28
What is the follicular phase?
Where the follicles mature into tertiary follicles, secrete estrogen, and get ready to release an oocyte
29
When does the follicular phase happen?
About the first half of the 28 days in the ovarian cycle
30
What is ovulation?
The release of a mature oocyte
31
What is the luteal phase?
The dominant follicle becomes the corpus luteum and produces progesterone
32
What is menopause?
When there are no more oocytes, no more reproduction, and no more cycle
33
What is the oogonia?
The ovarian stem cell
34
How does the oogonia divide?
Mitosis
35
When is the oogonia formed?
During fetal development
36
When do the oocytes stop developing?
When they start puberty
37
How long do oocytes last?
Until menopause
38
How many oocytes are in an infant, puberty, and menopause?
1-2 million (infant), 400,000 (puberty), 0 (menopause)
39
Where does the oocyte come from during ovulation?
The ovary
40
What do oocytes divide into?
Unequally, 1 mature oocyte and 3 polar bodies that get rid of other genetic information and waste product
41
How does the oogonium divide?
Mitosis
42
How does the Primary oocyte divide and what does it divide into?
Meiosis I (stops in prophase I and resumes after puberty), makes the secondary oocyte and the first and second polar bodies
43
How does the secondary oocyte divide and what does it divide into?
Meiosis II, makes a mature ovum and the third polar body
44
When does the secondary oocyte divide?
Only if penetrated by sperm
45
What is inside of the primary oocyte?
Large amounts of cytoplasm with nutrients to last from fertilization until implantation
46
How long is folliculogenesis?
Every 28 days
47
What is atresia?
Death of ovarian follicles (only one follicle makes it)
48
What are primordial follicles?
The original follicles
49
What do primordial follicles do?
Respond to recruitment and become primary follicles
50
How do primary follicles become secondary follicles?
Increase in size by getting more cells
51
What do the secondary follicles become after increasing in size?
Tertiary Follicle
52
How many tertiary follicles make it out?
1
53
What does the surviving tertiary follicle do?
Grow until ovulation and then expel the secondary oocyte from the ovary
54
How long does going from primordial follicle to tertiary follicle take?
2 months
55
What regulates the development of the follicle?
GnRH, LH, and FSH
56
What does FSH do?
Stimulate follicle growth
57
What does LH do?
Stimulate follicle cells to produce estradiol
58
What is estradiol?
A type of estrogen
59
What does estradiol do?
It is going to be produced enough to turn off the estrogen in the body, killing off the rest of the secondary follicles
60
A larger follicle produces more ________?
Estrogen
61
What does the production of estrogen do?
Reduce the production of GnRH, FSH, and LH
62
What does a decline in FSH cause?
The death of most follicles
63
What makes the dominant follicle dominant?
Size, number of cells, number of FSH receptors, higher estrogen production
64
What does the high amounts of estrogen do?
Turn the negative feedback loop into a positive feedback loop and secretes LH and FSH
65
What does the positive feedback loop do?
Surges LH which allows us to have ovulation
66
How do the follicles release the oocyte?
By using enzyme breakdown proteins in the ovary wall
67
What happens to the follicle after releasing the oocyte?
It collapses on the ovary and becomes the corpus luteum
68
What does the corpus luteum do?
Produces large amounts of progesterone
69
What do high levels of progesterone do?
Re-establish the negative feedback loop that is run by the hypothalamus and stop the production of LH
70
When must implantation happen in the luteal phase?
Within 10-12 days
71
What happens if implantation doesn’t happen?
The corpus luteum degrades into the lupus albicans and reproduction cannot happen
72
What are the uterine tubes?
A path from the ovaries to the uterus
73
True or false: The uterine tubes are not connected to the ovary.
True
74
How does the oocyte move down the uterine tubes?
Peristalsis
75
How does the oocyte get to the ovaries?
Carried by a current and are propelled by cilia
76
Cilia beat ________ with _______ estrogen concentration.
Stronger with greater
77
What are the three areas of the uterine tube?
Isthmus, Infundibulum, and ampulla
78
What is the isthmus?
A narrow end of the uterine tubes that connects to the uterus
79
What is the infundibulum?
The beginning of the uterine tube with a wide, distal end and fimbre to help with the current.
80
What is the ampulla?
The middle section where fertilization happens
81
What is the uterus?
A muscular organ that nourishes a growing embryo and is made to stretch during pregnancy
82
What are the sections of the uterus
Fundus (superior), Body (middle), Cervix (inferior)
83
What does the cervix do?
It projects into the vaginal canal and secretes mucus that assists sperm movement by de-coagulating
84
What are the layers of the ligaments that hold the uterus in place??
Perimetrium (deepest), myometrium (muscular), and endometrium (superficial)
85
What is the most superficial layer of the uterus?
The stratum functionalis
86
What does the stratum functionalis do?
It is the layer of the endometrium that sheds during menstruation
87
What keeps the stratum functionalis healthy for implantation?
The corpus luteum
88
What happens to the stratum functionalis without progesterone?
The lack of implantation causes blood vessels to constrict and rupture so O2 can’t reach the endometrial tissue
89
What is menses?
The shedding of dead endometrial tissues and blood
90
What is menarche?
The first menses after puberty
91
What happens in the menstrual cycle?
The uterine lining sheds, rebuilds and prepares for implantation
92
When does the menstrual cycle start?
First day of menses
93
What are the phases of the menstrual cycle?
Menses Phase, proliferated phase, secretory phase
94
What happens in the menses phase and how long is it?
The lining is shed, hormone levels are low; lasts about 5 days
95
What happens in the proliferative phase?
the endometrium rebuilds and the hormone levels rise
96
What happens in the secretory phase?
The progesterone from the corpus luteum starts the phase and gets the body ready for implantation
97
What happens if the hormones fall in the secretory phase?
Menses starts
98
What are the female reproduction systems accessory organs?
The breasts
99
What do the breasts do?
Supply milk to the infant and cause lactation
100
What produces milk?
Mammary glands
101
Where does the milk from the breasts exit?
The nipple
102
What do the areolar glands do?
Surround the nipple and secrete lubricating fluid to prevent chaffing
103
What are breasts supported by?
Suspensory ligaments
104
What leads to swelling and tenderness of the breasts?
Changes in hormones
105
During pregnancy, mammary tissue ________ and breasts ________
Develops and enlarge
106
What does hormonal birth control do?
Manipulate the negative feedback system
107
How does birth control manipulate the negative feedback system?
By providing constant hormones that prevent FSH and LH production
108
What happens to the uterus due to birth control?
The endometrial wall will not get as thick
109
True or false: New birth control pills may result in no menses.
True
110
What happens if you miss a day or two of birth control?
Your body will have too much hormone production and can lead to ovulation
111
Without chemical prompting of testosterone, what are all oocytes?
Female eggs
112
What is the SRY gene?
The 23rd/sex chromosome
113
The chromosome for female is __ and for males is __
XX and XY
114
What is a bipotential cell?
A cell that can be either male or female depending on the secretion of testosterone
115
What does the mullerian duct do?
Form the uterus, uterine tubes, and part of the vagina
116
What does the wolffian duct do?
Forms the epididymis, ductus deferens, and seminal vesicles
117
What is puberty?
The stage of sexual maturity
118
What happens to hormones during puberty and where do they come from?
There is an increase in hormone release from the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and gonads
119
When does LH production increase?
Around ages 8 and 9, years before physical change
120
What kind of hormones are your sex hormones?
Steroid hormones that are lipid soluble and come from fat.
121
The amount of ____ ___ is correlated with the age of puberty
Body fat
122
The hypothalamus ____ _________ and the gonads __ __________ during puberty.
Down regulates and upregulates
123
What are the signs of puberty in the male?
Increased larynx size, deeper voice, increased muscular development, hair growth
124
What are the signs of puberty in the female?
Fat deposited to breasts and hips, breast development, pelvis broadens, hair growth
125
When is the male growth spurt?
Typically around ages 11-13
126
How much can males grow during puberty?
About 4 inches per year and may continue on until early 20’s
127
When is the female growth spurt?
Around ages 9-11
128
How much can females grow during puberty?
About 3 inches per year for 2 or more years
