FUNCTIONS OF OVARIES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

o At the end of lecture students should be able to know,

Reproductive system /Reproductive physiology
Functions of ovaries
Oogenesis & Sexual Cycle
what is the process of oogenesis (egg production)
Describe how the ovarian follicles change in relation to oogenesis
Describe the hormonal event that regulate the ovarian cycle
Distinguish between a primordial, primary and secondary follicle
Describe the effects of FSH & LH on the ovary
Describe the effects of estrogen & progesterone on uterus, hypothalamus & anterior
pituitary

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

The reproductive system consist of primary and secondary sex organs.

The primary sex organs or gonads are the organs that produce the gametes, testes of
males and ovaries of females.
The secondary sex organs are organs other than the gonads that are essential to
reproduction.
In males, they constitute a system of ducts, glands and the penis, concerned with the
storage, survival and conveyance of sperm.
In females, they include the uterine tubes, uterus, and vagina concerned with uniting
sperm and egg and harboring the developing fetus,

MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE

ORGANS

The male and female reproductive organs

can be grouped by function.
The gonads, the testes in males and
ovaries in females produce gametes and
secretes hormones.
 Various ducts then store and transport the gametes.

MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Accessory sex glands produce substances that protect the gametes and facilitate their
movement.
Finally supporting structures, such as penis and uterus, assist the delivery and joining
of gametes and in females growth of embryo and fetus during pregnancy.

REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY

The gonads are the endocrine glands whose functions are to support development
and maturation of male and female germ cells.
The male gonads, the testes are responsible for development and maturation of
sperm and synthesis & secretion of male sex hormone, testosterone.
The female gonads, the ovaries are responsible for development and maturation of
ova and synthesis & secretion of female sex steroid hormones, estrogen &
progesterone.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT

FUNCTIONS OF OVARIES

THE OVARIES ARE FOR :

Oogenesis - the production of eggs (female sex cells)

 Hormone production (estrogen and progesterone).

OOGENESIS & SEXUAL CYCLE

The reproductive life of a women is cyclic

This includes the reproductive cycle, which encompasses the sequence of events from
fertilization to child birth
The sexual cycle, which encompasses the events that occurs every month when
pregnancy does not intervene
The sexual cycle in turn consist of two interrelated cycles controlled by shifting
patterns of hormone secretion:
The ovarian cycle consisting of events in the ovaries and
Uterine cycle consisting of parallel changes in the uterus

OVARIES

The ovaries are about the size and shape of almonds.

They lie against the lateral walls of the pelvis, one on each side.
They are enclosed and held in place by the broad ligament.
There are compact like tissues on the ovaries, which are called ovarian follicles.
The follicles are tiny sac-like structures that consist of an immature egg surrounded by
one or more layers of follicle cells.
As the developing egg begins to ripen or mature, follicle enlarges and develops a fluid
filled central region.
 When the egg is matured, it is called a graafian follicle, and is ready to be ejected from
the ovary.
The ovaries, the female gonads, also have three cell types:
The germ cells produce oogonia
The granulosa cells
The theca cells
The meiotic oogonia are surrounded by granulosa cells and stroma, are called oocytes.
They remain in prophase of meiosis until ovulation occurs
The theca cells synthesize progesterone and together with granulosa cells, synthesize
estradiol.

OOGENESIS

The process of egg production is called Oogenesis .

The spermatogenesis goes on continually while oogenesis is a distinctly cyclic event
that normally produced one egg per month
Oogenesis is accompanied by cyclic changes in hormone secretion and in the
histological structures of the ovaries and uterus
The uterine changes result in the monthly menstrual flow

The female germ cells arise, like those of male from the yolk sac of embryo
They colonize the gonadal ridges in the first 5 to 6 weeks of development and then
differentiate into oogonia
Oogonia multiply until the 5th month of development, reach 6 to 7 million in number
and then go into a state of arrested development until shortly after birth
At that time some of them transform into primary oocytes and go as far as early
meiosis 1
Any stage from the primary oocytes to the time of fertilization can be called an egg or
ovum
Most primary oocytes undergo a process of degeneration called atresia before a girl
is born
Only 2 million remain at the time of birth and most of those undergoes atresia during
childhood
By puberty only 400,000 oocytes remains.
This is the female life time supply of gametes and it is more than ample even if she
ovulated every 28 days from the age of 14 to 50, she would ovulate only 480 times
At adolescence, FSH stimulates the primary oocytes to completes meiosis 1,
which yields two haploid daughter cells of unequal sizes
Meiosis 1 produces a large daughter cell called secondary oocyte and a much
smaller cell called first polar body
The polar body sometimes undergoes meiosis 11 but ultimately disintegrates
The 2ndry oocytes proceeds as far as metaphase 11 and then arrest until after
ovulation
If it is not fertilized it dies and never finishes meioses
If it is fertilized ,it completes meioses 11 and produces a 2nd polar body, which
disposes of one chromatid from each chromosome
The chromosome of large remaining egg unite with those of the sperm
 The follicle at the proper stage of maturity when the LH is secreted will rupture and
release its oocyte into the peritoneal cavity.
The motion of the fimbriae draws the oocyte into the fallopian tube.
The luteinizing hormone also causes the ruptured follicle to change into a granular
structure called corpus luteum, which secretes estrogen and progesterone.
If the secondary oocyte is penetrated by a sperm, a secondary division occurs that
produces another polar body and an ovum, which combines its 23
chromosomes with those of the sperm to form the fertilized egg, which contains 46

chromosomes.

PROCESS OF HORMONE PRODUCTION BY THE OVARIES

OOGENESIS
 If the secondary oocyte is penetrated by a sperm, a secondary division occurs that
produces another polar body and an ovum, which combines its 23

chromosomes with those of the sperm to form the fertilized egg, which contains 46
chromosomes.

PROCESS OF HORMONE PRODUCTION BY THE OVARIES

Estrogen is produced by the follicle cells, which are responsible for secondary sex
characteristics and for the maintenance of these traits.
These secondary sex characteristics include the enlargement of fallopian tubes, uterus,
vagina, and external genitals; breast development; increased deposits of fat in hips and
breasts; widening of the pelvis; and onset of menses or menstrual cycle.

PROCESS OF HORMONE PRODUCTION BY THE OVARIES

Progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum in presence of LH in the blood. It works

with estrogen to produce a normal menstrual cycle.
Progesterone is important during pregnancy and in preparing the breasts for milk
production.

CONTROL OF OVARIAN FUNCTIONS

Gonadotropin secretion over the life time: in both males and females gonadal
function is driven by the hypothalamic pituitary axis, whose activity varies over
the lifespan.
Secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), the hypothalamic hormone
,begins at gestational week 4, but its level remains low until puberty.
Secretion of FSH and LH and anterior pituitary hormones, begins b/w gestational
weeks 10 and 12.
Like GnRH, the levels of FSH and LH remain low until puberty.
During childhood, FSH levels are relatively higher than LH levels.
At puberty and throughout the reproductive years, the secretory pattern changes:
secretion of GnRH, FSH and LH increases and become pulsatile. The relative
levels of FSH and LH reverse, with LH levels becoming higher than FSH levels.

OVULATION

The release of an egg cell from a mature ovarian follicle.

Is stimulated by hormones from the anterior pituitary gland, which apparently causes the
mature follicle to swell rapidly and eventually rupture.
The follicular fluid, accompanied by the egg cell, oozes outward from the surface of the
ovary and enters the peritoneal cavity.
After it is expelled from the ovary, the egg cell and one or two layers of follicular cells
surrounding it are usually propelled to the opening of a nearby uterine tube.
If the cell is not fertilized by union of a sperm cell within a relatively short time, it will
degenerate.

CONTROL OF OVULATION BY HORMONES OF THE PITUITARY-OVARIAN AXIS

 The maturing follicle secretes high levels of estrogen, which stimulates the
hypothalamus and anterior pituitary.
The hypothalamus secretes GnRH
In response to estrogen and GnRH, the anterior pituitary secretes LH
LH triggers ovulation
High levels of LH cause the empty graafian follicle to develop into the corpus luteum.
The corpus luteum releases more and more progesterone, which stimulates uterine
development
It also seals the fate of corpus luteum b/c it inhibits the secretion of FSH & LH which
causes involution of corpus luteum
Involution of corpus luteum also ends its negative feedback inhibition of the
hypothalamus
The hypothalamus begins to secrete GnRH and anterior pituitary secretes FSH in
response and a new crop of follicles begins to develop
If pregnancy occurs the corpus luteum remains active for about 3 months

OVARIAN CYCLE
Follicular phase
 o Menstrual phase
Days 1 - 5
o Preovulatory phase
Days 6 - 14
Postovulatory phase
o Luteal phase
Days 15 - 26
o Premenstrual phase
Days 27 28

Ovarian cycle

Menstrual phase
Days 1 5 of cycle
Menstrual fluid discharged
20 25 oocytes begin meiosis i
o Stimulated by fsh
o Stimulation begins ~day 25 of previous cycle
o Follicles around these oocytes develop

Preovulatory phase
Days 6 14 of typical cycle
End of menstruation ovulation
Growing follicles secrete more estrogen
o Reduces fsh secretion by pituitary
o Makes follicles more sensitive to fsh
o (more fsh receptors)
One follicle becomes dominant
o Mature follicle, 2.5 cm in diameter
o Completes meiosis i metaphase ii
o Produces lh receptors
o Other follicles degenerate
Preovulatory phase
High estrogen level
o Stimulates gnrh, fsh, lh production
o High fsh & lh levels
Cilia in uterine tube create current into tube
Lh increases blood flow into follicle
o Follicle swells

Ovulation
o Rupture of follicle, release of oocyte
o ~day 14 of typical cycle

Luteal phase
Days 15 26 of typical cycle
Oocyte travels down uterine tube
Ovulated follicle becomes corpus luteum
Lh secretion continues (pituitary)
o Supports corpus luteum
 Corpus luteum produces androgen
o Androgen progesterone
Stimulates uterine development

Luteal phase
Progesterone inhibits secretion of gnrh & lh
When lh levels drop (~10 days)
o Not pregnant
Corpus luteum atrophies (corpus albicans)
Progesterone levels drop
Menstruation initiated
Gnrh secretion begins, start over
o Pregnant
Lh replaced by hcg from embryo
Corpus luteum remains active ~3 months
Endocrine function later assumed by placenta

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