what is graffian follicle
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graafian follicle [graf´e-an]
a small sac, embedded in the ovary, that encloses an ovum. At puberty each ovary has a large number of immature follicles (primordial follicles), each of which contains an undeveloped egg cell.
About every 28 days between puberty and the onset of menopause, one of the follicles develops to maturity, or ripens, into a graafian follicle (or vesicular ovarian follicle). As it ripens, it increases in size. The ovum within becomes larger, the follicular wall becomes thicker, and fluid collects in the follicle and surrounds the ovum. The follicle also secretes estradiol, the hormone that prepares the endometrium to receive a fertilized egg. As the follicle matures, it moves to the surface of the ovary and forms a projection. When fully mature, the graafian follicle breaks open and releases the ovum, which passes into the fallopian tubes. This release of the ovum is called ovulation; it occurs midway in the menstrual cycle, generally about 14 days after the commencement of the menstrual flow.
The released ovum travels down the tube to the uterus, a process that takes about 3 days. Meanwhile, the empty graafian follicle in the ovary becomes filled with cells containing a yellow substance, the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone, a hormone that causes further change in the endometrium, allowing it to provide a good milieu in which a zygote (fertilized ovum) can grow through the stages of gestation to become a fetus.
a small sac, embedded in the ovary, that encloses an ovum. At puberty each ovary has a large number of immature follicles (primordial follicles), each of which contains an undeveloped egg cell.
About every 28 days between puberty and the onset of menopause, one of the follicles develops to maturity, or ripens, into a graafian follicle (or vesicular ovarian follicle). As it ripens, it increases in size. The ovum within becomes larger, the follicular wall becomes thicker, and fluid collects in the follicle and surrounds the ovum. The follicle also secretes estradiol, the hormone that prepares the endometrium to receive a fertilized egg. As the follicle matures, it moves to the surface of the ovary and forms a projection. When fully mature, the graafian follicle breaks open and releases the ovum, which passes into the fallopian tubes. This release of the ovum is called ovulation; it occurs midway in the menstrual cycle, generally about 14 days after the commencement of the menstrual flow.
The released ovum travels down the tube to the uterus, a process that takes about 3 days. Meanwhile, the empty graafian follicle in the ovary becomes filled with cells containing a yellow substance, the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone, a hormone that causes further change in the endometrium, allowing it to provide a good milieu in which a zygote (fertilized ovum) can grow through the stages of gestation to become a fetus.
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Graffian follicle is a fluid-filled structure in the mammalian ovary within which an ovum develops prior to ovulation.
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