Female Reproductive System - Ovaries Flashcards
What do the ovaries produce?
Eggs and female hormones
What produces eggs in a female?
The ovaries
How many potential eggs may be contained in the ovaries of a female foetus at birth?
Up to one million potential eggs may be contained by the ovaries at birth
Why are the eggs present in a female at birth referred to as “potential eggs”?
As they have not yet divided by meiosis and are therefore diploid
Are eggs diploid or haploid in a female at birth?
They are diploid at birth
At what age does puberty occur in females?
11 or 12
How many potential eggs are there in a female at puberty?
Approximately 40, 000
What is each potential egg enclosed by?
A cluster of cells
What is a potential egg enclosed by a cluster of cells called?
A follicle
Where are the follicles located?
In the ovary
How many eggs are produced each month after puberty?
Approximately 20 eggs
How are eggs produced from potential eggs?
By meiosis
How many eggs out of the twenty produced by meiosis each month continue to grow?
Usually only one
What happens to most of the eggs produced each month?
They die off
What is a haploid egg called?
An ovum
What surround an ovum?
A Graafian follicle
What does the Graafian follicle produce?
The hormone oestrogen
What happens as the Graafian follicle matures?
It forms a swelling on the surface of the ovary
What is ovulation?
Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary
What happens to the Graafian follicle at maturity?
It burst to release the egg
When does the Graafian follicle burst to release the egg?
It bursts at ovulation
Why does the Graafian follicle burst?
To release the egg
Where does the Graafian follicle form a swelling when it matures?
It forms a swelling on the surface of the ovary
What happens to the Graafian follicle after ovulation?
It fills with yellow cells and becomes the corpus luteum
When does the Graafian follicle fill with yellow cells and become the corpus luteum?
After ovulation, when it has burst to release the egg
What is the corpus luteum?
The corpus luteum forms when the burst Graafian follicle is filled with yellow cells after it has burst to release the egg
What does the corpus luteum secrete?
The hormone progesterone
What is the corpus luteum also called?
Yellow body
What releases oestrogen in the female reproductive system?
The Graafian follicle
What releases progesterone in the female reproductive system?
The corpus luteum
