Growth and maturation of the ovary, culminating in the onset of complete and cyclic
ovulation as well as functional steroidogenesis, are clearly some of the most profound …

As in other organs of the female reproductive tract, the growth and function of uterine tissues
are controlled by endocrine factors, primarily the steroid sex hormones secreted by the ovary …

Steroid hormone biosynthesis by the ovary occurs in a highly coordinated and episodic
fashion which is determined in part by the pattern of gonadotropin secretion. For example, a …

The onset of the terminal phase of differentiation of the female germinal cell, the transition
from oogonium to oocyte, is marked by a suppression of the ability of the cell to replicate its …

Oogenesis is a complex process regulated by a vast number of intra-and extra-ovarian
factors. Oogonia, which originate from primordial germ cells, proliferate by mitosis and form …

Development-related paracrine cues that sensitize follicles to follicle stimulating hormone
(FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are crucial to the emergence of a single dominant …

A prerequisite to the understanding of the ovarian diseases and infertility is a thorough
understanding of normal embryology and physiology of the ovary. Therefore, the objective of …

The biological challenge to be met by the mammalian ovary is to maintain the continuous
development of small follicles and, at the same time, to allow other follicles to ovulate and …

The mammalian oocyte is formed early in foetal life and may remain suspended at diplotene
of the first meiotic prophase until several decades later. When, following follicular …

The ovary performs two interrelated functions: It is responsible for oocyte maturation in
preparation for fertilization as well as the secretion of sex steroids. The main functional units …