Female Reproduction (Physiology)

Abstract
The female reproductive system has gonad that produce egg or ovum and sex organs. The
system experience maturation of their reproductive organs, which become functional during
puberty as a result of the gonads secreting sex hormones. Female Reproductive System functions
are: produces eggs (ova), secretes sex hormones, receives the male spermatozoa, protects and
nourishes the fertilized egg until it is fully developed, delivers fetus through birth canal, and
provides nourishment to the baby through milk secreted by mammary glands in the breast.
The development of women's "eggs" are arrested during fetal development. At about 5
months gestation, the ovaries contain approximately six to seven million oogonia, which initiate
meiosis. The oogonia produce primary oocytes that are arrested in prophase I of meiosis from the
time of birth until puberty. After puberty, during each menstrual cycle, one or several oocytes
resume meiosis and undergo their first meiotic division during ovulation. The ovaries of a
newborn baby girl contain about one million oocytes. This number declines to 400,000 to
500,000 by the time puberty is reached. On average, 500-1000 oocytes are ovulated during a
woman's reproductive lifetime. Towards the end of puberty, girls begin to release eggs as part of
a monthly period called the female reproductive cycle, or menstrual cycle (menstrual referring to
"monthly").
Approximately every 28 days, during ovulation, an ovary sends a tiny egg into one of the
fallopian tubes. Unless the egg is fertilized by a sperm while in the fallopian in the two to three
days following ovulation, the egg dries up and leaves the body about two weeks later through the
vagina. This process is called menstruation. Blood and tissues from the inner lining of the uterus
(the endometrium) combine to form the menstrual flow, which generally lasts from four to seven
days. It produces a total blood of 30 80 ml (about 2 8 tablespoon). During menstruation
arteries that supply the lining of the uterus constrict and capillaries weaken. Blood spilling from
the damaged vessels detaches layers of the lining, not all at once but in random patches.
Endometrium mucus and blood descending from the uterus, through the liquid creates the
menstruation flow. The reproductive cycle can be divided into an ovarian cycle and a uterine
cycle. During the uterine cycle, the endometrial lining of the uterus builds up under the influence
of increasing levels of estrogen (labeled as estradiol in the image). Follicles develop, and within
a few days one matures into an ovum, or egg. The ovary then releases this egg, at the time of
ovulation. After ovulation the uterine lining enters a secretory phase, or the ovarian cycle, in
preparation for implantation, under the influence of progesterone. Progesterone is produced by
the corpus luteum (the follicle after ovulation) and enriches the uterus with a thick lining of
blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growing fetus.
Learning Objectives:
Student should be able to explain:

1. Female hormonal system

2. Ovarian and endometrial cycle
3. Regulation of the female monthly rhytm-interplay between the ovarian and
hypothalamic-pituitary hormones
4. The female sexual act
Scenario:
Eggs Mature Once A Month
The ovary and testis both produce hormones and gametes, and they share other similarities.
However , male and female gametes are very different from each other. Eggs are some of the
largest cells in the body. They are non motile and must be moved through the reproductive tract
on currents created by smooth muscle contraction or the beating of cilia. During the reproductive
years, eggs mature in a cyclic pattern and are released from the ovaries roughly one a month.
After about 40 years female reproductive cycles cease (menopause).
Discuss with your group the following items:
1. The monthly ovarian cycle.
2. The menstruation
3. The influence of estrogens on female secondary sex characteristics
4. Correlation of ovulation and orgasm with fertility

Self assessment
Explain the following items:
1. Ovarian function in adult women
2. Hormonal and ovarian changes that occur at menopause
3. Puberty and menarche
4. Environmental factors influence female reproduction.