6th April,2021

Assignment no; 01
 Table of Contents

 The ovum

 Oogenesis

 Process

 Stages
 Pre-antral.
 Antral.
 Preovulatory.

 Oogenesis ,age and other factors

 Clinical relevance

 References
 Oogenesis
The Ovum
Oogenesis is the process by which the female gametes, or ova, are
created. The female gamete is called an ovum. Sometimes people will
refer to female gametes as eggs, but the term egg can include more than
one stage of development, and the definition of an egg also changes
depending on the type of organism.
For example, the entire prenatal development of birds occurs inside an
egg, but in placental mammals, after the egg is fertilized and starts dividing,
nobody calls it an egg anymore. So, we're going to use the more precise
term for a mature female gamete which is ovum (or ova for the plural form).
Now you may recall, each ovum must be haploid and contain only one copy
of each chromosome.

Oogenesis, in the human female reproductive system, growth process in

which the primary egg cell (or ovum) becomes a mature ovum.
 In any one human generation, the egg’s development starts before the
female that carries it is even born; 8 to 20 weeks after the fetus has started
to grow, cells that are to become mature ova have been multiplying, and by
the time that the female is born, all of the egg cells that the ovaries will
release during the active reproductive years of the female are already
present in the ovaries.

These cells, known as the primary ova, number around 400,000. The

primary ova remain dormant until just prior to ovulation, when an egg is
released from the ovary. Some egg cells may not mature for 40 years;
others degenerate and never mature. The egg cell remains as a primary
ovum until the time for its release from the ovary arrives.

The egg then undergoes a cell

division. The nucleus splits so that
half of its chromosomes go to one
cell and half to another. One of
these two new cells is usually
larger than the other and is known
as the secondary ovum; the
smaller cell is known as a polar
body. The secondary ovum grows
in the ovary until it reaches maturation; it then breaks loose and is carried
into the fallopian tubes. Once in the fallopian tubes, the secondary egg cell
is suitable for fertilization by the male sperm cells.
The primary oocytes undergo 3 stages:

 Pre-antral.
 Antral.
 Preovulatory.
  Pre-Antral Stage
The primary oocyte is still in meiosis I, but will grow dramatically in this
stage. The follicular cells grow and proliferate to form a stratified cuboidal
epithelium. Now, we call these granulosa cells and  they secrete
glycoproteins. These chemicals form the zona pellucida around the primary
oocyte.

Surrounding connective tissue cells also differentiates to become the theca

folliculi, a specialised layer of surrounding cells that is responsive to LH
and can secrete androgens under its influence.

 Antral Stage
Fluid filled spaces form between granulosa cells, these eventually combine
together to form a central fluid filled space called the antrum.

We now call the follicles secondary follicles. In each monthly cycle one of

these secondary follicles becomes dominant and develops further under
the influence of FSH, LH and oestrogen.

 Pre-Ovulatory Stage
The LH surge induces this stage and meiosis I is now complete. Inside the
follicle, 2 unequally sized haploid cells form. One of the daughter cells
receives far less cytoplasm than the other and forms the first polar body,
which will not go on to form an ovum.

Another haploid cell is also formed, known as the secondary oocyte. Both

daughter cells then undergo meiosis II.

An initial polar body will replicate to give two polar bodies but the
secondary oocyte arrests in metaphase of meiosis II. This happens 3 hours
prior to ovulation.
  Ovulation
Now, the follicle has grown in size and is mature – it is called a Graafian
follicle.

An LH surge occurs and increases collagenase activity. This is an enzyme

that disrupts collagen. Therefore, there is weakening of the follicular wall.
This, combined with muscular contractions of the ovarian wall, results in the
ovum being released from the ovary. The ovum is then taken up into
the fallopian tube via the fimbriae (finger-like projections of the fallopian
tube).

Fertilisation
The secondary oocyte will only complete meiosis II
following fertilisation. Here, it gives off a third polar body. Following
meiosis II, a fertilised egg results. If fertilisation doesn’t occurs, the oocyte
degenerates 24 hours after ovulation, remaining arrested in meiosis II.

If fertilisation does occur, peristaltic movements of the fallopian tube move

the egg to the uterus where it can implant into the posterior uterine wall.

Oogenesis, Age, and Other Factors

Defects during oogenesis can result in severe consequences. In particular,
problems with chromosome segregation during either meiosis I or meiosis
II may lead to an embryo being aneuploid, meaning that it contains an
abnormal number of chromosomes. Increased age elevates a woman’s risk
of having a child with certain types of aneuploidy, such as Patau syndrome
—characterized by central nervous system abnormalities, developmental
delays and infant mortality—which is caused by an extra copy of
chromosome 13.

Several explanations for this “age effect” have been proposed,

which include the degradation over time of the meiotic spindle apparatus
(responsible for splitting chromosomes during division), or the gradual
accumulation of abnormal cells in ovaries. As a result, women who are 35
years and older are typically offered prenatal testing, such as blood tests,
nuchal translucency screening by ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling, or
amniocentesis, which can determine whether a fetus carries any
chromosomal abnormalities.
Aside from a woman’s age, other researchers are looking at how certain
diseases can influence oogenesis and oocyte quality. One such condition
gaining interest is endometriosis, during which the blood-rich lining that
typically collects in a woman’s uterus before menstruation accumulates
elsewhere in the body, like in ovarian cysts, along the large intestine or
upon the lining of the abdominal cavity. Interestingly, oocytes collected
from women with endometriosis undergoing in vitro fertilization may show
defects in the meiotic spindle apparatus or decreases in fertilization rates.
Research on this disease is ongoing, but some scientists have
hypothesized that such poor oocyte quality may be the result of increased
immune-associated proteins or altered hormone levels in these patients.

Finally, other work has been performed to determine

the effect of environmental factors on oogenesis, and their relation to
aneuploidy. Chewing tobacco, hormone use (especially in older women)
and even exposure to bisphenol-A, a component of many plastics, have all
been suggested to affect oogenesis adversely and the process of meiosis
therein.
PCOS is a common endocrine disorder that affects around 5-10% of

premenopausal women. Excess androgen production and the presence

of multiple immature follicles within a woman’s ovaries characterise this

condition.

This condition has a poorly understood aetiology and patients can

present with a wide variety of signs and symptoms, including:

 Oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea
 Infertility
 Hirsutism
 Obesity
 Chronic pelvic pain
 Depression
 For diagnosis to take place, 2 criteria below must be met:
 Oligomenorrhoea and/or anovulation.
 Clinical/biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism.
 Polycystic ovaries on imaging.

To manage this, doctors need a patient centred approach.

This can include managing weight, reducing hyperandrogenism and

using medications. Medications prescribed could be the combined oral

contraceptive pill (to manage oligo-/amenorrhoea) and metformin (to

manage infertility).

References

o https://byjus.com/biology/oogenesis/

o https://www.jove.com/science-education/10906/oogenesis

o https://www.britannica.com/science/fertilization-reproduction#ref606589