Oocyte- A female germ cell in the process of development. The oocyte is produced in the ovary by an ancestral cell called an oogonium and gives rise to the ovum (the egg) which can be fertilized.
The Growth of Oocytes:
- The enlargement of the cytoplasm by accumulation of different sizes of granules of deutoplasm
- The development of an egg membrane
- The mitotic proliferation of follicular epithelium and adjacent tissue
Stages of Growth in Oocytes:
- Stage 1
- Rapid growth and development of the ovarian follicle
- Stage 2
- The oocytes do no grow size but the ovarian follicle responds to pituitary hormones and increases in diameter
