Variation in ovarian follicle density during human fetal development

Purpose To obtain a precise estimate of ovarian follicle density and variation in the number of follicles at several gestational ages during human fetal development. Methods Twelve necropsied ovaries from 9 fetuses (gestational age: 24 to 36 weeks) and 3 neonates (who died within the first hours of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics 2012-09, Vol.29 (9), p.969-972
Main Authors: Geber, Selmo, Megale, Rodrigo, Vale, Fabiene, Lanna, Ana Maria Arruda, Cabral, Antônio Carlos Vieira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Birth
Cortex
Development
Female
Fetal Death - pathology
Fetal Development
Fetus - embryology
Fetus - pathology
Fetuses
Follicles
Formaldehyde
Gestational Age
Gonad Physiology and Disease
Gynecology
Human Genetics
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neonates
Organ Size
Ovarian Follicle - embryology
Ovarian Follicle - pathology
Ovaries
Paraffin
Pregnancy
Reproductive Medicine
Staining and Labeling
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Purpose To obtain a precise estimate of ovarian follicle density and variation in the number of follicles at several gestational ages during human fetal development. Methods Twelve necropsied ovaries from 9 fetuses (gestational age: 24 to 36 weeks) and 3 neonates (who died within the first hours of life) were studied. Ovaries were fixed with 4 % formaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. Serial, 7 mm thick sections of the ovaries were cut and evaluated at every 50 cuts. Follicles were counted in 10 regions (each measuring 625 μm 2 ) of the ovarian cortex and the number of follicles per mm³ was calculated. Results The number of follicles per 0.25 mm² ranged from 10.9 (± 4.8) in a neonate to 34.7 (± 10.6) also in a neonate. Among fetuses, follicle density was lowest at 36 weeks of gestation (11.1 ± 6.2) and highest at 26 weeks (32 ± 8.9). The total number of follicles ranged from 500,000 at the age of 22 weeks to > 1,000,000 at the age of 39 weeks. Conclusion Our results show a peak in the number of follicles during intrauterine life at approximately 26 weeks, followed by a rapid reduction in this number before birth, providing a step forward towards the understanding of primordial follicular assembly in humans and, ultimately, the identification of the determinants of reproductive capacity.
ISSN:1058-0468
1573-7330
DOI:10.1007/s10815-012-9810-2