What is the relationship between follicles and eggs?

When we were in school, did students learn some common knowledge about eggs and sperm in physics class? The knowledge learned before can help us to have a deeper understanding of the functions of various parts of our body. So do we know what the relationship between follicles and eggs is? We all know that when sperm and egg combine, a baby will be born. So what is the relationship between them? Let us explain it below.

To understand follicles, you must first understand the ovaries. The ovaries are organs unique to women. It is the female reproductive gland whose main function is to produce eggs and estrogen. The ovaries are located in the pelvic cavity, at the upper and back sides of the uterus, at the end of the fallopian tubes. They are flat and oval in shape, with one on each side. The ovaries contain a large number of follicles of varying sizes, which can be divided into primary follicles, secondary follicles and mature follicles according to their development process. Mature follicles release mature eggs.

The follicle is the place where the egg is produced and nurtured. After the egg matures and is released, the follicle degenerates into a corpus luteum and loses its function, and its appearance on the ovary is as a small pit.

Since puberty, under the action of gonadal hormones, dozens of follicles develop simultaneously in each menstrual cycle of a healthy woman. Generally, only one follicle can mature, while the others atrophy at different stages of development. Therefore, a healthy woman only has about 400 to 500 follicles that mature in her lifetime. Healthy adult women release mature eggs from their ovaries about every 28 days, a process called ovulation. The mature ones are sent out every month.

An ovum (also known as an egg cell) is the reproductive cell of female organisms. Both animals and seed plants produce eggs. In higher organisms, eggs are produced by the ovaries. The ovarian follicle is composed of an oocyte and many small follicular cells around it. According to the morphological and functional changes in the process of follicle development, it can be divided into three stages: primordial follicles, growing follicles and mature follicles.

One follicle develops into only one egg. Generally, most women only ovulate once in a menstrual cycle. There is only one dominant follicle, which ovulates alternately on the left and right sides. The follicle undergoes meiosis. I remember that when I was in high school, there was an explanation on the mitosis chart. One follicle only develops into one egg. Generally, women can only ovulate once in a menstrual cycle, while men can have hundreds of millions of sperm.

What is said above is the relationship between follicles and eggs. Through this knowledge, we can understand that a follicle can only develop into one egg. After the egg and sperm combine in the fallopian tube, they will be input into the uterus to form a baby. Isn’t the human body structure amazing? So if we understand this knowledge, we can make our lives more fulfilling.