in the human embryo, the thousand or so oogonia divide rapidly from the second to the seventh month of gestation to form roughly 7 million germ cells
after the seventh month of in-utero development, however, the number of germ cells drops. most oogonia die during this period, while the remaining oogonia enter the first meiotic division.
these latter cells, called the primary oocytes, progress through the first meiotic prophase until the at which point they are maintained until puberty. this is is the first “meiotic arrest”
with the onset of adolescence, groups of oocytes periodically resume meiosis but stop in metaphase II. this is the second “meiotic arrest”
rhus, in the human female, the first part of meiosis begins in the embryo, and the signal to resume meiosis is not given until roughly 12 years later