16 Obstetrics and Gynecology Board Review •••
❍ Is the rate of follicular loss constant throughout adulthood?
No. Loss is accelerated as adults approach menopause.
❍ What happens to excess genetic material as the oocytes progress through meiotic divisions during ovulation
and later fertilization?
Excess genetic material is extruded as polar bodies.
❍ What is the chromosomal content of the primary oocyte arrested in the diplotene stage prior to ovulation?
46 chromosomes.
❍ What is the chromosomal content of a mature oocyte after completion of meiosis II?
23 chromosomes.
❍ Does the cycle of follicle formation, ripening, and atresia occur in the fetus?
Yes. However, ovulation does not occur.
❍ Does the Müllerian duct development depend on fetal gonadal steroid production?
No. The Müllerian duct development is independent of the ovary.
❍ Is the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary portal circulation functional?
Yes. The fetal hypothalamic-pituitary portal circulation is functional by the 12th week of gestation.
❍ Do both males and females have both the Wolffian ducts and the Müllerian ducts present at any time?
Yes. Both systems temporarily coexist until 8 weeks’ gestation.
❍ Name the three stages of renal development.
Pronephric, mesonephric, and metanephric.
❍ Are abnormalities in the development of tubes, uterus, and upper vagina associated with congenital
abnormalities in any other organ system?
Yes. These abnormalities are associated with abnormalities in the renal system, as they both require the appearance
of the mesonephric ducts.
❍ What are the components of the urogenital ridge?
Mesonephric duct and genital ridge.
❍ In the absence of any gonad, what type of development will occur?
Internal genitalia have intrinsic tendency to feminize, as Müllerian duct development will occur.
❍ Does the development of a normal female phenotype require fetal estrogen production?
No.