Question

Explain the events that occur in a Graafian follicle at the time of ovulation and thereafter.

Answer 1

The Graafian follicle is the stage after the first meiotic division has completed but before ovulation. The oocyte is now a 2N haploid. The follicle is characterized by a large follicular antrum that makes up most of the follicle. The secondary oocyte, having undergone the first meiotic division, is located eccentrically. It is surrounded by the zona pellucida and a layer of several cells known as the corona radiata. When released from the Graafian follicle and into the oviduct, the ovum will consist of three structures: oocyte, zona pellucida and corona radiata.

By the end of the follicular (or proliferative) phase of the thirteenth day of the menstrual cycle, the cumulus oophorus layer of the preovulatory follicle will develop an opening, or stigma, and excrete the oocyte with a complement of cumulus cells in a process called ovulation. The ruptured follicle will undergo a dramatic transformation into the corpus luteum, a steroidogenic cluster of cells that maintains the endometrium of the uterus by the secretion of large amounts of progesterone and minor amounts of estrogen.