| anovular ovarian follicle | A follicle that does not contain an ovum. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| atretic ovarian follicle | A follicle that degenerates before coming to maturity; great numbers of such atretic follicle's occur in the ovary before puberty; in the sexually mature woman, several are formed each month. Synonym: corpus atreticum. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vesicular ovarian follicle | A follicle in which the oocyte attains its full size and is surrounded by an extracellular glycoprotein layer (zona pellucida) that separates it from a peripheral layer of follicular cells permeated by one or more fluid-filled antra; the theca of the follicle develops into internal and external layers. Synonym: folliculus ovaricus vesiculosus, graafian follicle, secondary follicle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mature ovarian follicle | A follicle ready for ovulation; in the human ovary its antrum attains a diameter of 6 to 8 mm and presents a surface bulge; a first maturation (meiotic) division of the ovum usually occurs just prior to the rupture of the follicle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| granular layer of a vesicular ovarian follicle | The layer of small cells that forms the wall of an ovarian follicle. Synonym: granular layer of a vesicular ovarian follicle, granulosa, membrana granulosa, stratum granulosum ovarii. (05 Mar 2000) |
| growing ovarian follicle | A follicle having several layers of proliferating follicular cells surrounding the ovum, but separated from it by an extracellular glycoprotein layer (zona pellucida). (05 Mar 2000) |
| polyovular ovarian follicle | <gynaecology> A follicle containing more than one ovum. (05 Mar 2000) |
| primary ovarian follicle | An ovarian follicle before the appearance of an antrum; marked by developmental changes in the oocyte and follicular cells so that the latter form one or more layers of cuboidal or columnar cells; the follicle becomes surrounded by a sheath of stroma, the theca. Synonym: folliculus ovaricus primarius. (05 Mar 2000) |
| primordial ovarian follicle | A follicle in which the primordial oocyte is surrounded by a single layer of flattened follicular cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ovarian follicle | <biology, gynaecology> In mammals the group of cells around the primary oocyte proliferate and form a surrounding noncellular layer. A space opens up in the follicle cells and the whole structure is then the ovarian Graafian) follicle. (05 Jan 1998) |
| stigma | The pollen-receptive surface of a carpel or group of fused carpels, usually sticky. (09 Oct 1997) |
| stigma ventriculi | One of a number of miliary ecchymoses of the gastric mucosa. (05 Mar 2000) |
| follicular stigma | <gynaecology, physiology> The point where the graafian follicle is about to rupture on the surface of the ovary. Synonym: macula pellucida, stigma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Graafian follicle | <gynaecology> Final stage in the differentiation of follicles in the mammalian ovary. Consists of a spherical fluid filled blister on the surface of the ovary that bursts at ovulation to release the oocyte. (18 Nov 1997) |
| hair follicle | <dermatology> A tube-like opening in the epidermis where the hair shaft develops and into which the sebaceous glands open (13 Nov 1997) |