Reproductive

birth stages

1. full term pregnancy- fetus in uterus, cervix closed

2. dilation stage- fetus in uterus, cervix open, amnion ruptures (water breaks)

3. expulsion stage I- fetus in uterus, start of head passage (head emerging)

4. expulsion stage II- fetus in uterus between pelvic bones, end of head passage (head out of cervix)

5. placental stage- ejection of placenta from uterus, note umbilical cord containing umbilical artery (blue) and vein (red)

ovaries

paired, almond-shaped organs in the lower abdomen that store and release oocytes

oviducts

J-shaped tubules that transport an oocyte after ovulation, site of fertilization

uterus

inner lining sheds in response to hormones, site for fetal development during pregnancy

vagina

passageway for semen during sexual intercourse and for the fetus during childbirth

labia

folds of skin that protect the internal reproductive structures

what does the hypothalamus release

GnRH

what does the anterior pituitary release

LH, FSH

what do the ovaries release

progesterone, estrogen

ovarian cycle phases

follicular, ovulation, luteal

uterine cycle phases

menstruation, proliferative, ovulation, secretory

order of events in follicular phase

functional layer of the endometrium is shed

brain secretes GnRH, FSH, LH

ovarian follicles are stimulated to mature

ovarian follicles produce estrogen

uterine lining is stimulated to thicken

effect of low-moderate concentration of estrogen

exerts negative feedback on hypothalamus and pituitary

effect of high concentration of estrogen

exerts positive feedback on hypothalamus and pituitary

order of events during ovulation and luteal phase

surge in LH

ovarian follicles rupture and release oocyte
corpus lutem secretes progesterone

corpus lutem degrades into corpus albicans

hormone levels drop and initiate menstruation

estrogen trends

two distinct, soft peaks

tallest is near the end of the follicular phase, shorter one is in luteal phase

FSH trends

slight elevation in early follicular phase, small peak in middle of the cycle

LH trends

narrow, high peak in middle of the cycle, low concentration at all other times

progesterone trends

widest and highest peak in the luteal phase, low concentrations for the remainder of the cycle

basal body temperature trends

increases during luteal phase and remains elevated until the end of the cycle

is semen acidic or alkaline

alkaline

t/f in individuals with Y chromosome, gametogenesis is not started until puberty begins

true

factors for reproductive success

sperm count, motility

counting method for neubauer counting chamber

exclude any cells that touch middle line of the bottom or right border

healthy sperm sample

high motility, above average count of motile sperm cells, average pH (7.2-7.8), average count of motile sperm cells

unhealthy semen sample

relatively low pH (below 7.2), below average count of motile sperm cells, low motility, relatively high pH (above 7.8), above average amount of seminal fluid with an average amount of motile sperm cells