10 Fascinating Facts About Your Ovaries

1. You Are Born with a Finite Number of Eggs
The formation of reproductive glands begins around the 3rd or 4th week of fetal development. By the 12th week of pregnancy, female fetuses already have oocytes (immature eggs). By the 22nd week, this number reaches around 4.5 to 5 million. However, this number decreases over time, leaving approximately 2 million at birth, 400,000 by puberty (ages 11-13), and about 1,000 by menopause.

You can't increase, transplant, or add more eggs. They diminish every day, month, and year.

2. Follicles
Out of the 400,000 follicles available at puberty, only around 400 will become dominant and release a mature egg capable of fertilization. The rest undergo programmed cell death, known as atresia.

3. Primary Oocytes
From birth, a girl's ovaries contain numerous immature primary follicles, each housing an equally immature primary oocyte. To become fertilizable, an oocyte must go through specific growth stages within the follicle.

There are three stages of follicle growth:

The first stage is hormone-independent and lasts around 120 days.
The second stage lasts 65 days until the antral follicle stage.
The third stage, which coincides with the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, lasts about 14 days.
When you see a dominant follicle on an ultrasound around day 14, understand it has been maturing for nearly 200 days.

4. Typically, One Dominant Follicle Emerges in a Natural Cycle
Although there are many contenders, nature usually allows only one follicle to mature and release an egg each cycle, while several other follicles perish.

5. Ovulation Stimulation for IVF Doesn't Deplete Your Egg Reserve
Contrary to some beliefs, stimulating ovulation does not exhaust your egg supply. The eggs that are stimulated would otherwise have died during the natural monthly cycle. Only those follicles already in the latter growth stages respond to stimulation, while the others remain unaffected.

6. Folliculogenesis Is a Continuous Process
At any given time, your ovaries contain follicles at various development stages. Even without ovulation, eggs are not conserved; they still perish because folliculogenesis is an ongoing, autonomous process. The only way to preserve eggs is through cryopreservation, which involves freezing them outside the body.

7. Your Eggs Age Alongside You
After age 35, eggs are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities. The chance of pregnancy decreases, while the risk of miscarriage increases. Smoking can cause menopause to occur 1-4 years earlier due to oxidative stress and DNA damage in ovarian follicles. If a mother smokes during pregnancy, her daughter's ovaries may be damaged, increasing the risk of early menopause.

8. No Drugs Can Improve Egg Quality
Despite what some companies claim, there are no medications that can enhance egg quality. This is a misleading business that preys on the hopes of women. Even Viagra has been tested without success.

9. Eggs Have a Very Short Lifespan
Once an egg is released from the ovary (ovulation), it lives for only about 12-24 hours. Timing is crucial for fertilization.

10. They Are Extremely Delicate
Eggs cannot be frozen using standard methods without damage from ice crystals. Special rapid-freezing techniques are required to prevent ice crystal formation and preserve the eggs.