Fenugreek in Management of Female-Specific Health Conditions
Dilip Ghosh, Prasad Thakurdesai in Fenugreek, 2022
The reproductive cycle of women comprises two major turning points—menarche and menopause. Menarche is the start, and menopause is the termination of the menstrual cycle and reproductive capacity (Karapanou and Papadimitriou 2010). Menopause is the loss of function of the ovarian follicle at the end of the reproductive cycle (Greendale, Lee, and Arriola 1999). Menopause is associated with varied unfavorable consequences in women’s lives such as anxiety, hot flushes, irritability, mood swings, dysmenorrhea, vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, reduced sexual function, obesity, and depression (Burger et al. 2002; Marjoribanks et al. 2012). Menopausal symptoms have been associated with the decrease in the level of inhibin and anti-Mullerian hormone and subsequent hormonal imbalance or decreased estrogen and androgen levels and increased FSH level (Sowers et al. 2008).
Ultrasonographic Monitoring of Follicle Growth in Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation
Arianna D'Angelo, Nazar N. Amso in Ultrasound in Assisted Reproduction and Early Pregnancy, 2020
Arredondo et al. [22] carried out a study to determine the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of ovarian follicle diameter measurements in natural menstrual cycles. Two blinded observers each calculated follicle diameter measurements on 70 patients. The results showed that there was excellent correlation: intraobserver correlation coefficient for both observers was 0.99, and the interobserver correlation coefficient was 0.98. It was concluded that the reproducibility of ovarian follicle diameter measurements was clinically acceptable. Farrell et al. [23] investigated the reliability and validity of 2D ultrasound volumetric measurements using balloon models. Thirty different sets of ultrasound images were obtained from 15 water-filled balloons with volumes ranging from 19 to 697 mL. Two observers who were blinded to the true volumes of the balloons performed the measurements independently. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess the intra- and interobserver reliability. Results showed the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.992 to 0.998 for reliability and validity, whereas the Pearson correlation coefficient for validity was 0.996. In conclusion, high levels of reliability and validity were obtained for ultrasound balloon volume measurements.
Regulation of Reproduction by Dopamine
Nira Ben-Jonathan in Dopamine, 2020
Although FSH and LH are named after their functions in female reproduction, they are chemically identical in males and females and are produced in the pituitaries both sexes. In the testes, FSH and LH stimulate sperm production by Sertoli cells and testosterone production by the interstitial cells of Leydig, respectively. Testosterone, in turns, supports spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, provides negative feedback information to the hypothalamo–pituitary complex, and is responsible for the expression of the secondary sex characteristics of the male and other metabolic actions. In the ovaries, FSH and LH support the development and growth of ovarian follicles, induce ovulation, and stimulate the production of estrogen and progesterone. The ovarian steroids, in turns, regulate the female reproductive system, provide both negative and positive feedback information to the hypothalamo–pituitary complex, affect the secondary sex characteristics of the female, prepare the reproductive tract for potential pregnancy, and support gestation and fetal development. Unlike the reproductive system of men, which is continuously active from puberty to old age, in women menopause occurs by the fifth decade of life. At this time, the ovaries lose their capacity to ovulate and become unresponsive to FSH and LH, resulting in the cessation of the female reproductive cyclicity.
Aberrant BMP15/HIF-1α/SCF signaling pathway in human granulosa cells is involved in the PCOS related abnormal follicular development
Published in Gynecological Endocrinology, 2022
Li-Yun Cao, Zhi-Qin Zhang, Pei-Pei Liu, Ding-Fei Xu, Liang Tang, Lu Fan, Xue-Chen Sun, Jia-Yi Li, Qiong-Fang Wu, Zeng-Ming Li, Jun Tan
Normally, ovarian follicle develops from primordial phase into mature phase, which is tightly regulated by hormones, protein factors and cell-cell interactions [9, 10]. Therefore, the interactions between inhibitory signals and stimulatory factors ensure the ovarian follicular develop normally. Stem cell factor (SCF) is a granulosa-derived cytokine growth factor, which stimulates the c-kit receptor expressed by oocytes [11, 12]. Recent studies have demonstrated the important role of SCF in the initiation and the maintenance of folliculogenesis [13]. Exogenous added SCF increased the diameter of oocytes from primordial to early primary follicles in the mouse, and this promotion was inhibited by SCF-neutralizing antibody [14]. Furthermore, Tan et al have showed a positive and statistically significant relationship between SCF level and oocyte developmental potential in human follicles [15]. These studies suggest that SCF might be a critical factor in regulation of follicular development. It has been known that PCOS patients are often accompanied with abnormal follicular development and poor quality oocytes [16]. Remarkably, our previous studies have found a reduced SCF expression in serum, follicular fluid (FF) and granulosa cells (GCs) in PCOS patients, indicating that decreased SCF expression might be associated with PCOS related abnormal follicular development [17]. Nevertheless, the reasons of weakened SCF expression and it related regulatory mechanisms in PCOS are still unclear.
Cumulus cell acetyl-CoA metabolism from acetate is associated with maternal age but only partially with oocyte maturity
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2022
Sharon Anderson, Peining Xu, Alexander J. Frey, Jason R. Goodspeed, Mary T. Doan, John J. Orris, Nicolle Clements, Michael J. Glassner, Nathaniel W. Snyder
During the oocyte retrieval procedure after controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF, the oocytes within specialized ovarian follicles, that support the growth and development of oocytes, are harvested. As only the oocyte is used in fertilization, the remainder of the cells and fluid (CCs, follicular fluid and ganulosa) is a remnant sample and can be used as a source for noninvasive investigation of follicle function, even by destructive methods that consume the sample completely. This circumvents the issue of applying such methods to the oocyte which must be fertilized and implanted. This easy access has led to insightful investigations into the metabolomics of the follicular fluid (Wallace et al. 2012), but relatively few studies have been conducted on the metabolism of the recovered human CCs.
Management of congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in females
Published in Human Fertility, 2021
Hafiza Naseem, Mariam Lokman, Cheryl Fitzgerald
The HPG axis is active in utero and shortly after birth (Brennan, 2013; Mogri et al., 2013). This phenomenon is referred to as mini-puberty and then becomes dormant for years (Morrison et al., 1994). At the onset of puberty, GnRH-induced pulses of LH are initially nocturnal and gradually extend to daytime as puberty progresses (Boyar et al., 1974; Dunkel et al., 1992; Wu et al., 1990). LH stimulates theca cells to produce androgens, which are aromatised into oestradiol from granulosa cells following FSH stimulation, along with the recruitment of secondary ovarian follicles. Inhibin B and AMH are produced by granulosa cells (Valeri et al., 2013). Circulating levels of inhibin B increase during puberty in girls whilst AMH concentrations show only minor fluctuations during female puberty (Hagen et al., 2010).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Egg Cell
- Gonadotropin
- Granulosa Cell
- Menstrual Cycle
- Ovary
- Ovulation
- Puberty
- Oocyte
- Fertilisation
- Theca of Follicle