All about the process of egg maturation

Each female body has about 1.5 million follicles from birth. Not all of them will later turn into eggs. This article will tell you about the process of egg maturation in women.

Features of the development of female germ cells

The entire ripening period is quite difficult. Most of the biological processes occurring in the female body have a certain cyclical nature. It is also characteristic for the maturation of female reproductive cells - eggs.

From the moment of birth, each girl has her own set of follicles. They were formed in her during her life in the mother's womb. Nature designed it so that the total number of follicles should be enough for a woman to fulfill her biological function - procreation.

For the first time, the process of oocyte maturation begins during puberty. At this time, a teenage girl has her first periods. The appearance of menstruation is the first signal of the female body that eggs have begun to mature in it.

With the normal course of the menstrual cycle and the absence of certain gynecological pathologies, the egg matures every month. This process occurs in women throughout almost their entire life and ends only during menopause. All the time when the eggs ripen, doctors define as the period of reproduction. During this period, a woman is able to conceive a baby naturally and become a mother.

Conventionally, a woman's entire menstrual cycle can be divided into several phases. They successively replace each other. Note that the duration of each of them is individual. Let's consider these phases.

Menstruation. The first day of your period is the start of your menstrual cycle. The day before the period ends the previous cycle. The length of your period can vary. On average, it is 3-5 days.
Proliferative... It starts right after your period and lasts just until the day of ovulation. During this time, the dominant follicle matures in the ovaries and the egg is released from it. With a 28-day menstrual cycle, this phase lasts 13-14 days.
Ovulation... In most cases, it occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. At this time, a mature egg is released into the abdominal cavity from the bursting follicle.
Secretory (luteal, progesterone). Comes immediately after ovulation and lasts until the first day of the next menstruation. At this time, the female body prepares for the next menstrual cycle, and therefore for a possible pregnancy.

It often happens that a simple calendar calculation of the date of ovulation in practice does not have a reliable result. For a number of reasons, in a woman, the follicular phase may be shorter, and the luteal phase may have a longer duration.

In such a situation, the exact date of ovulation can be determined only by means of a special pharmacy test or by the method of ultrasound examination of the ovaries - folliculometry.

Each woman has her own individual characteristics. So, in one woman, eggs most often ripen in the right ovary, while another may have the opposite situation. There is almost never a strict alternation in the work of the ovaries. Eggs can ripen simultaneously in each of them. This process is very individual.

How do they ripen?

As menstruation approaches, egg maturation begins in the ovary. In this case, usually only one follicle increases in size. This feature is conceived by nature in order for a woman to develop a singleton pregnancy in the future. However, there are exceptions to every rule.

It also happens that in one month not one, but several eggs mature. If a woman, for some reason, has two eggs at once ripened at the same time, this significantly increases the likelihood of conceiving twins.

The ovum is located in the ovary in a special anatomical formation called the follicle. Under the influence of specific hormones, several follicles begin to grow at once at the same time, but then only one of them increases. Its experts call it dominant. In the future, it is in it that the egg cell will actively ripen for this menstrual cycle.

The dominant follicle grows in size every day. It increases by 2 mm daily until ovulation. When it reaches a size of 1.8-2 cm, it usually bursts and an egg is released from it. At this time, she already reaches sufficient maturity to make conception possible.

In order for fertilization to be possible, the egg goes through a difficult path, moving from the ovary to the fallopian tube. In it, she can meet with sperm. Usually, the egg cell retains its viability for a day.

Many women mistakenly believe that only one sperm is required to conceive. This is not entirely true. In order for fertilization to occur, a sufficient number of active and viable spermatozoa are required. They are necessary so that only one "lucky" person penetrates into the egg cell, and conception occurs.

If fertilization has not occurred, then the egg cell will inevitably die. In its place, a special formation is formed in the ovaries - the corpus luteum. Before it appears, a blood clot forms at the site of a burst follicle, but under the influence of progesterone (a female sex hormone), it is absorbed and replaced by the corpus luteum.

If pregnancy has not occurred, then the corpus luteum also regresses. This also helps to reduce the level of progesterone in the blood. At the same time, the concentration of estrogens - female sex hormones begins to increase. Changes in hormonal levels contribute to the beginning of a new period of egg maturation for the next menstrual cycle.

The process of maturation of oocytes in women of reproductive age is continuous. As soon as one egg is ripe and released, the process of maturation of a new one almost immediately begins. It is important to note that even a healthy woman may experience several anovulatory cycles in her entire life... This means that in some menstrual cycle, a follicle is formed, but there is no egg in it. This situation is also called "empty follicle syndrome". It usually develops no more than once a year.

If a woman's anovulatory cycles occur more often, then this can already lead to a decrease in her reproductive function and even cause infertility.

How long does it take?

The egg matures within a certain time. This period is determined by the length of the menstrual cycle. Its duration is different for each woman and is determined by a whole set of various factors.

According to statistics, the average duration of the menstrual cycle in women is 28-30 days. In this case, the date of ovulation (the appearance of a mature egg) falls on the 14-15th day of the cycle. On the day of ovulation, you can understand that the egg is already fully ripe. Each of the periods of the menstrual cycle is accompanied by the development of certain symptoms in women. So, during ovulation, they usually feel an emotional uplift, their appetite improves and their sex drive (libido) increases. In the postovulatory period, the hormonal background changes.

In the days before their period, many women experience symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. At this time, their mood usually worsens, rashes on the body may appear, appetite increases and edema develops. In this case, after menstruation, all adverse manifestations disappear.

What can affect?

A variety of factors can affect a woman's menstrual cycle. Not all 1.5 million follicles granted by nature will remain in the female body until the onset of menopause. Many of them will simply die.

Most often, several factors affect the maturation of the eggs.

Bad habits. Scientists believe that long-term smoking and alcohol abuse can have a detrimental effect on the eggs. Women with addictions may face problems of infertility.
Strong and debilitating psycho-emotional stress. During stress, the hormonal background changes in the female body. This contributes to a shift in the phases of the course of the menstrual cycle, and, therefore, it can affect ovulation. Also, uncontrolled intake of high doses of vitamins can lead to such changes.
Taking medications. Oral contraceptives, which are often taken by women in pill form, affect hormonal levels. This contributes to the fact that the duration of the menstrual cycle, and, therefore, the process of maturation of eggs, can change.