o Fertilization

 Fusion of sperm and egg to form unicellular zygote

 Zygote  single diploid (2n) cell.

 Most common location of fertilization
 Ampulla of female reproductive tract

o Anatomy of Female Reproductive Tract

Parts of Female reproductive Tract → includes
 Vagina
 Uterus
 Cervix
 Body of uterus
 Fundus of uterus
 Fallopian tube
 Ampulla of fallopian tube
 Fimbriae
 Ovaries
 Ligament of ovary

o Vagina
 Muscular tube lined with mucous membrane.
 Function → receives semen

 ejaculated from penis into the upper part of vagina (near cervix)
 For fertilization
 Semen must pass from vagina → to cervix
 And  from cervix to uterus
 And  from uterus to fallopian tube to reach ampulla to fertilize the egg.

o Uterus
 Hollow muscular pear-shaped organ (womb)
 about 3 inches or 7.5 cm
 Location
 Longitudinally → Female pelvis
 Anteroposterior → between the bladder and rectum.
 Uterus  Three parts

 Cervix
 Lower third part of uterus
 connects the uterus with vagina.
 Fundus
 Top part of uterus
 Body of uterus
 Main part of uterus
 includes uterine cavity.
 Site where fertilized egg is implanted.
 Layers of Uterus
 Uterus  three layers
  Endometrium → inner layer – initial site of implantation.
 made up of glandular cells that make secretions. ( discussed deeply in physio of female
reproductive tract)
 Myometrium → middle and thickest layer (definitive stage of implantation)
 made up of smooth muscles
 Perimetrium → outer serous layer (serous layer provides a partition between the internal
organs and the abdominal cavity)
 Example of serous layer in the body
 Pericardium → surrounds the heart
 Pleural membranes → surround the lungs
 Peritoneal membrane → surrounds the abdominal cavity and related organs.
 Tunica vaginalis → surrounding the testes

o Fallopian Tube
 A pair of long slender tubes (one on each side of the uterus) that connect the ovaries to the uterus.
 Eggs from ovaries are received by fallopian tube via their fimbriae brush like movement.
 Two parts of Fallopian Tube
 Ampulla
 Dilated region of fallopian tube
 site of fertilization where sperm fuses with egg.
 Fimbriae
 Finger like projections located at the ovarian ends of fallopian tubes.
 During ovulation, movement of these fimbriae assist in directing the ovum to the ampulla.
o Ovary

 Pair of small oval-shaped glands (one on each side of the uterus) within abdominal cavity.
 Ovaries produce and store eggs.
 Only one egg is released by the ovaries in one cycle.
 Ligaments of Ovary
  Also called → proper ovarian or utero-ovarian ligament
 Function → connect the ovaries to the lateral surface of the uterus.

o Oogenesis
 Development of an ovum (aka egg) is called oogenesis.

 Oogenesis begins in fetal life.

 Primordial germ cells → Primary undifferentiated stem cells in embryo
 Primordial germ cells → differentiate into Gametes
 PGCs differentiate into sperms in males
 PGCs differentiate into eggs in females

 Primordial germ cells (2n) appear in yolk sac in 4th week of fetal life (mnemonic 2n x 2 = 4t)
 Arise from Epiblast. (mnemonic pri and Epi end in i)
 Increase their number (proliferate) by mitosis
 Migrate towards gonads.
 After these cells reach gonads  called oogonia
 Epiblast → PGCs → Migrate to Gonads → Oogonia

 Oogonia
 In gonads  oogonia undergo
 Mitosis → number increases.
 become surrounded by flat epithelial cells (follicular cells)
 then — Oogonia differentiate into Primary Oocyte (2n).

 Primary oocyte
 Primary oocyte are formed in 5th month of fetal life. (mnemonic Phive — P)
 Primary oocyte undergo meiosis
 During their meiosis  all primary oocytes arrest in prophase of meiosis I (diplotene) and remain
arrested until puberty  Arrest 1

 Meiosis two stages

 Meiosis 1 and
meiosis 2
 Each meiosis 1 & 2
have 
 Prophase
  Prophase 1  5 substages
 Leptotene,
 Zygotene,
 Pachytene,
 Diplotene,  mcq
ⱺ Name diplotene important
 Diakinesis,
Primordial germ cells (2n) Mitosis oogonia (2n) Mitosis Primary Oocyte (2n) Meiosis Arrest 1
→ → →

 Degeneration Of Primary Oocytes

 At about 5th month of fetal life, the number of primary oocyte is about 7 million
 is reduced to 2 million after birth
 reduced 40,000 at puberty.
 All primary oocytes stored in female ovaries
 remain arrested in diplotene stage until puberty.

 When a girl reaches puberty, during each monthly cycle

 a primary oocyte (2n) becomes unarrested
 completes meiosis I
 gives rise to 1- Secondary Oocyte n (with greater cytoplasm) and 2- polar body (with little
cytoplasm)
 polar body is non-functional and degraded

o Secondary Oocyte n
 The Secondary oocyte becomes arrested in metaphase of meiosis II and released from ovary (same
meiosis which primary oocyte started)
 Recall
 Arrest 1→ Prophase of Meiosis 1
 Arrest 2 → Metaphase Meiosis 2
 Release of ovum from ovary  ovulation.
 After ovulation – primordial follicle ruptures, bleed and becomes Corpus hemorrhagicus
 Corpus hemorrhagicus → Temporary structure formed immediately after ovulation from the
ovarian follicle as it collapses and is filled with blood that quickly clots.
 Only if secondary oocyte comes in contact with the sperm within the uterine tube, the secondary
oocyte completes meiosis II to form a mature oocyte.
 If Meiosis II completes — Secondary oocyte converts to →
 Mature oocyte + polar body.
 Mature oocyte is haploid (n)
 Mature oocyte will fuse with sperm (n) to form diploid zygote.

 If no fertilization,
 Secondary oocyte degrades
 Released out of the female body via menstrual bleeding
 Meiosis completion DOES NOT occur.

 Stages of Ovulation
 Primary follicles in ovaries containing primary oocytes grow to become mature follicles due to
action of FSH from anterior pituitary glands.
 Mature follicles containing secondary oocytes arrested in metaphase II are called Graafian follicles
or secondary follicles.