oocyte (ovum)
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Introduction
Haploid female sex cell. Oocytes are found within the ovary until shed into the fallopian tube -> uterus during the menstrual cycle. When fertilized by a spermatozoa, it is capable of developing into an embryo.
It is commonly believed that female mammals develop a fixed number of oocytes early in life, the lose them with each menstrual cycle until cessation of repreductive function. Evidence now suggests that cells from the ovarian epithelium may produce oocytes during reproductive years when estrogen is abundant.[2]
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References
- ↑ Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Journal Watch 25(13):107, 2005 Bukovsky A, Svetlikova M, Caudle MR. Oogenesis in cultures derived from adult human ovaries. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2005 May 5;3(1):17. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15871747