Abstract
During human embryonic ovarian development, primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate from the yolk sac to the genital ridge, where mitosis and the first meiotic division generate some two million oocytes by the time of birth. Each becomes surrounded by a single layer of flattened stromal cells, the early granulosa, to form a primordial follicle. Of these, only 400 will ovulate. The remaining 99.9% will undergo attrition or apoptotic atresia, such that by puberty only 400,000 survive and by the menopause, none survive. This massive follicular loss may be influenced by processes at hypothalamic, pituitary, and intraovarian levels.
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Matthews, C.H. (1997). Genetic Factors in Follicular Aging. In: Paoletti, R., Crosignani, P.G., Kenemans, P., Samsioe, G., Soma, M.R., Jackson, A.S. (eds) Women’s Health and Menopause. Medical Science Symposia Series, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5560-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5560-1_4
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