A woman has an ovary on each side of her uterus. There are many water-like vesicles in the ovary, called \”follicles.\” Undeveloped follicles are called \”primordial follicles\”, and each primordial follicle contains an undeveloped egg cell. Egg cells begin to develop as early as 3 months into the fetus. These primary eggs remain in a quiescent state until 7 months into the fetus and do not begin to develop until after puberty. When a female fetus is born, there are more than 100,000 primordial follicles in the ovary, but only 400 to 500 follicles mature during a woman\’s lifetime.
When a woman reaches adulthood, under the action of hypothalamus and pituitary gonadotropin, 8 to 10 follicles develop towards the mature stage every month, but generally only the egg in one follicle matures and gradually matures towards the mature stage. The surface of the ovary migrates and protrudes outward. When the follicle approaches the surface of the ovary, the surface layer becomes thinner and finally ruptures. The mature egg is excreted from the follicle. This process is ovulation. There is generally no special feeling during ovulation, but a few people may have soreness on one side of the lower abdomen and a slight increase in basal body temperature.
After the egg cell leaves the ovary, it is called an ovum and falls near the fallopian tube. Menstruation is normal and regular, and the time of ovulation is usually in the middle of two menstrual periods. For women with a menstrual cycle of 28 days, ovulation usually occurs on the 14th day of the menstrual period. If the menstrual cycle is not 28 days, shortened or extended, then the ovulation period will be about 14 days before the next menstruation. Eggs can be discharged from both ovaries in turn, or one ovary can discharge them continuously. The discharged egg is picked up through the fimbria of the fallopian tube and enters the fallopian tube. It meets the sperm in the ampulla of the fallopian tube and is fertilized. If there is no fertilization within 24 hours, sex change will begin. The survival time of egg cells outside the follicle ranges from several hours to 4 to 5 days, and the fertilization ability is strongest 15 to 18 hours after ovulation.
Ovulation is affected by the secretory activity of the pituitary gland, and the pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus and the brain. Therefore, ovulation is affected by many factors such as the external environment, people\’s emotions, physical conditions, diseases, sexual life, etc. It changes due to the influence of ovulation, so it is more accurate to predict the ovulation period only by constantly experiencing it.
This article is provided by Baidu Reading and is excerpted from \”Three Months Before Pregnancy – Pregnancy Preparation Period\” Author: Wang Liru