If a woman starts ovulating at 13 and stops at 50; a) how many ova are likely to be released from her ovaries? b) about how many of these ova are likely to be fertilize
Women are born with approximately one to two million ova while female fetuses actually have far more egg cells when they are in the mother’s womb—sometimes as many as six or seven million eggs
When egg cells are immature they are referred to as oocytes
By the time a woman reaches puberty, there are only a small fraction of oocytes left—usually about 300,000
During the reproductive lifespan, only about 500 of a woman’s eggs are ovulated
The remaining eggs that are left behind die out during menopause
Egg death is a natural part of the cycle of the female reproductive system so prior to menopause, women typically lose a thousand or so eggs every month