Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of follicles in the mammalian ovary. The unresolved issues in follicular development are focused. Folliculogenesis culminates in the production of fully ripe, preovulatory follicles visible to the naked eye as large bulges on the surface of the ovary. Each ripe follicle contains thousands of highly differentiated cells. This complex, functional miniature organ arises from the handful of cells that constitute a simple primordial follicle, a structure so small that it is invisible at the lower magnifications of a light microscope. All regulatory influences can only permit or prevent cells from completing the full maturation process; they cannot change the course of differentiation. A plethora of modulating influences act as permissive inducers, impeding or propelling the committed follicular cells through the process of clonal expansion. As each follicle progresses through its program of limited clonal expansion and maturation, its cells proliferate more and more rapidly. With every passing generation, the proliferative potential of the granulosa and theca cells continues to diminish, while the state of maturation increases.

Development of Follicles in the Mammalian Ovary

Metabolic fuels and reproduction in female mammals.

Patterns in the data on human sexuality support the hypothesis that the bases of sexual emotions are products of natural selection. Most generally, the universal existence of laws, rules, and gossip about sex, the pervasive interest in other people's sex lives, the widespread seeking of privacy for sexual intercourse, and the secrecy that normally permeates sexual conduct imply a history of reproductive competition. More specifically, the typical differences between men and women in sexual feelings can be explained most parsimoniously as resulting from the extraordinarily different reproductive opportunities and constraints males and females normally encountered during the course of evolutionary history. Men are more likely than women to desire multiple mates; to desire a variety of sexual partners; to experience sexual jealousy of a spouse irrespective of specific circumstances; to be sexually aroused by the sight of a member of the other sex; to experience an autonomous desire for sexual intercourse; and to evaluate sexual desirability primarily on the bases of physical appearance and youth.The evolutionary causes of human sexuality have been obscured by attempts to find harmony in natural creative processes and human social life and to view sex differences as complementary. The human female's capacity for orgasm and the loss of estrus, for example, have been persistently interpreted as marriage-maintaining adaptations. Available evidence is more consistent with the view that few sex differences in sexuality are complementary, that many aspects of sexuality undermine marriage, and that sexuality is less a unifying than a divisive force in human affairs.

Précis of The evolution of human sexuality

The program for in vitro fertilization at Bourn Hall began in October 1980. Various types of infertility have been treated during this time using the natural menstrual cycle or stimulation of follicular growth with antiestrogens and gonadotrophins. Follicular growth and maturation are assayed by urinary estrogens and LH, monitored regularly during the later follicular stage. Many patients had an endogenous LH surge; others needed an injection of HCG to induce ovulation. All oocytes were recovered by laparoscopy. Wide variations occurred in the time interval between the start of the LH surge and oocyte recovery and between oocyte recovery and insemination. Embryos taken between the one- and the eight-cell stage were replaced into their mother, no standard procedure being adopted for all patients. The results of all treatments including patient's responses during the follicular and luteal phases, oocyte recovery, fertilization, cleavage, replacement, implantation, abortion, and birth and the effect of factors such as replacing two or more embryos, maternal age, and previous obstetric history are described in detail. The incidence of implantation after embryo replacement improved from 16.5% initially to 30% currently. More than 118 babies have been born, and many pregnancies are continuing.

Factors influencing the success of in vitro fertilization for alleviating human infertility

The view that high social rank is associated with high levels of both copulatory behavior and the production of offspring is widespread in the study of animal social behavior. In order to demonstrate the validity of this hypothesis it is necessary first to resolve ambiguities in the concept of dominance and to assign ranks by means of valid procedures. Second, copulatory behavior must be properly sampled, measured, and related to rank. Finally, it must be demonstrated that rank and increased copulatory behavior actually lead to increased reproduction. Each step in this process entails conceptual and methodological difficulties. There have been many studies of rank and copulatory behavior, fewer of rank and differential reproduction, and very few of rank, copulatory behavior, and differential reproduction. The consistency of results obtained varies with taxon; results of particular consistency appear in studies of carnivores and ungulates. Both the concept of dominance and the validity of the hypothesis re...

Dominance rank, copulatory behavior, and differential reproduction.

Effects of the menstrual cycle, social grouping, and exogenous progesterone on heterosexual interaction in laboratory housed stumptail macaques (M. arctoides)

The duration of infertility: an important datum for the fertility prognosis of men with semen abnormalities.

Zusammenfassung

Doppelblind-cross over-Studie einer Therapie mit Mesterolon von Mannern mit Oligozoospermie Die Bedeutung der Hodenbiopsie



59 sorgfaltig ausgewahlte Manner mit einer Oligozoospermie (1–40 Mill. Sp./ml) wurden randomisiert und mit Mesterolon (75 mg tgl.) oder Placebo behandelt, um ihre Fertilitat zu bessern. Nach 6 Monaten Therapiedauer wurde von Mesterolon auf das Placebo ubergegangen und umgekehrt. 14 Schwangerschaften wurden erreicht, 7 unter Mesterolon und 7 unter Placebo.



Ein Hodenbiopsie-Score war von prognostischem Wert: Die Manner, bei denen eine Schwangerschaft der Frauen erreicht wurde, zeigten einen signifikant hoheren Score als jene, bei denen dieses Ereignis nicht eintrat. Irgendwelche anderen signifikanten Differenzen konnten zwischen den beiden Gruppen nicht beobachtet werden. Es wird festgestellt, das Mesterolon keinen anderen Einflus besitzt als das Placebo, wenn die von den Autoren benutzten Ausgangsparameter Verwendung fanden.

Double-blind cross over treatment with mesterolone and placebo of subfertile oligozoospermic men value of testicular biopsy.

Testicular biopsies of 142 oligozoospermic men were used to obtain a testicular biopsy score count. These scores were clearly related to the chance of fertility, in contra-distinction to data on hormone concentrations and from analysis of semen. In 36 patients with a score of 9-10 there were 15 pregnancies; in 59 patients with a score of 8-9, 12; and in 47 patients with scores below 8 there was only one successful pregnancy, though this last group also contained an additional three patients whose wives' pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Rating of testicular biopsies is more useful for proper evaluation of oligozoospermic patients than are data on hormone concentrations and from semen analysis. Proper evaluation of new treatments should be based on trials where experimental and control groups are matched on these ratings.

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/1/6108/289.full.pdf

Value of a testicular biopsy rating for prognosis in oligozoospermia

In 210 subfertile men there existed a significant positive correlation between serum FSH and LH (0.41). No correlation was observed between the gonadotrophin levels and testosterone. In contrast to this FSH as well as LH were negatively correlated with the natural logarithm (ln) of the sperm count/ml ejacate (-0.44 and -0.18, respectively). When the positive correlation which existed between FSH and LH was used to calculate partial correlation coefficients, the coefficient between FSH and ln sperm count did hardly change (-0.41) the coefficient between LH and ln sperm count on the other hand became insignificant (-0.05). This suggests that spermatogenesis influences FSH serum levels in subfertile men by a decreased suppression when sperm production is diminished. Testicular biopsies taken from 97 of these patients were used to determine biopsy scores. These scores showed a significant negative correlation with FSH (-0.34) and a positive one with ln sperm count/ml ejaculate (0.45). Interestingly the biopsy score of 16 patients who fertilized their wives, was found to be higher compared with the score of the other patients who did not fertilize. The number of sperm/ml ejaculate and the FSH values of these 2 groups of biopsied patients were, however, not significantly different. This leads to the conclusion that the biopsy score is a better parameter for the evaluation of oligospermic men than either sperm count or FSH serum values.

P. E. Schenck

Papers

Effects of the menstrual cycle, social grouping, and exogenous progesterone on heterosexual interaction in laboratory housed stumptail macaques (M. arctoides)

The duration of infertility: an important datum for the fertility prognosis of men with semen abnormalities.

Double-blind cross over treatment with mesterolone and placebo of subfertile oligozoospermic men value of testicular biopsy.

Value of a testicular biopsy rating for prognosis in oligozoospermia

Serum gonadotrophins, testosterone and spermatogenesis in subfertile men.