Chapter 4 - The Endocrinology of the Mammalian Ovary

Abstract

This chapter emphasizes the roles of hormones and paracrine regulators that regulate, or are produced by, the mammalian ovary. It discusses the roles of hormones and other regulatory agents in the development of the ovary as well as in the processes of folliculogenesis, ovulation, and corpus luteum function. Understanding the structure, function, and regulatory control of the mammalian ovary is basic to any consideration of mammalian reproduction. The cyclic reproductive events of female mammals are referred to as the estrous cycle and include a short period of heightened receptivity of the female for mating, which is called estrus. The roles of hormones and paracrines during the ovarian cycle are separatedduring the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. Induced versus spontaneous ovulation is discussed in the chapter as well as aspects of ovarian aging.