What is the histological structure of the ovary?

Each ovary is typically about 3 centimeters long, 1.5 centimeters wide, and 1 centimeter thick, with a thin outer capsule. The capsule is made up of a thin layer of simple cuboidal epithelium that’s only one cell thick, and an underlying dense layer of connective tissue called the tunica albuginea.

What tissue is oocyte?

The cortex appears more dense and granular due to the presence of numerous ovarian follicles in various stages of development. Each of the follicles contains an oocyte, a female germ cell. The medulla is a loose connective tissue with abundant blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerve fibers.

What is oocyte?

Oocyte: A female germ cell in the process of development. The oocyte is produced in the ovary by an ancestral cell called an oogonium and gives rise to the ovum (the egg), which can be fertilized.

What are the three stages of ovarian follicle?

Preantral follicular development can be divided into three stages: activation of primordial follicles, the primary to secondary follicle transition, and the development of secondary follicles to the periantral stage.

What is histologically unique about the ovaries?

The ovaries are small almond shaped structures, covered by a thick connective tissue capsule – the tunica albuginea. This is covered by a simple squamous mesothelium called the germinal epithelium. The ovary contains many primordial follicles, which are mostly found around the edges of the cortex.

What is the histology of thyroid gland?

The thyroid lobules consist of a large number of typical units called thyroid follicles. [5] The thyroid follicles are the structural and functional units of a thyroid gland. These are spherical, and the wall is made up of a large number of cuboidal cells, the follicular cells.

What is the function of oocyte?

An oocyte is a female germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. It is one of the largest cells in the body (approx. 110µm in diameter) and develops in the ovarian follicle, a specialized unit of the ovary, during the process of oogenesis/folliculogenesis in the cortex.

Is an oocyte fertilized?

Fertilization occurs when a sperm and an oocyte (egg) combine and their nuclei fuse. Because each of these reproductive cells is a haploid cell containing half of the genetic material needed to form a human being, their combination forms a diploid cell.

Can follicles grow in 2 days?

As the ovary is stimulated with FSH, some of the follicles will grow. Follicles grow approximately 2 mms per day so there is some predictability of when the follicles will reach the appropriate size for ovulation or retrieval.

Can a 14mm follicle release an eggs?

Smaller follicles 10-14 mm usually do not give us an egg, and if they do, the egg is most often immature. In addition, many of the follicles in women over 40 or those with DOR, are empty since the eggs may have degenerated over time.

Why do females have two ovaries?

There are two ovaries, one on either side of the uterus. Ovaries make eggs and hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help girls develop, and make it possible for a woman to have a baby. The ovaries release an egg as part of a woman’s cycle.

What characters are controlled by the ovarian hormones?

Hormones of the Ovaries Estrogen (estradiol, specifically) is instrumental in breast development, fat distribution in the hips, legs, and breasts, and the development of reproductive organs.

How is the primary follicle characterized in medical histology?

The primary follicle is characterized by growth of the oocyte, an enveloping layer of cuboidal follicular cells, and the zona pellucida, an acellular glycoprotein layer between the oocyte and the follicular cells. The follicular cells extend cytoplasmic processes through the zona and form gap junctions with the oocytes.

Is the primary oocyte surrounded by granulosal cells?

The primary oocyte remains arrested in prophase of the first meiotic division. It is surrounded by a ring of granulosal cells (the cumulus oophorus) and protrudes into the antral space. 400x The secondary follicle continues to grow, its multiple antral spaces coalescing into a single antrum.

What kind of cells form the primary oocyte?

• Unilaminar–primary oocyte (100-250 μm diameter) surrounded by a single layer of cuboidal follicular cells • Multilaminar–more than one layer of cuboidal cells. The multilaminar follicular cells are called granulosa cellsand form the granulosa layer

When does an oocyte follicle reach its size?

presence of the peptide oocyte maturation inhibitor (OMI) secreted by the granulosa cells –Follicle increases in size starting at ~200 μm and reaching a size