Follicular fluid is a liquid which fills the
follicular antrum
The follicular antrum is the portion of an ovarian follicle filled with follicular fluid. Appearance of the follicular antrum during follicular maturation is the first sign that a follicle has reached the next stage of maturation. It has changed f ...
and surrounds the
ovum
The egg cell, or ovum (plural ova), is the female reproductive cell, or gamete, in most anisogamous organisms (organisms that reproduce sexually with a larger, female gamete and a smaller, male one). The term is used when the female gamete is ...
in an
ovarian follicle
An ovarian follicle is a roughly spheroid cellular aggregation set found in the ovaries. It secretes hormones that influence stages of the menstrual cycle. At the time of puberty, women have approximately 200,000 to 300,000 follicles, each with th ...
. This fluid is rich in
hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans ...
, and is used in a modified
intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) is an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in which a single sperm cell is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an egg. This technique is used in order to prepare the gametes for the obtention of emb ...
(ICSI) called
physiological ICSI
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) is an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in which a single spermatozoon, sperm cell is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an ovum, egg. This technique is used in order to prepare the gametes for t ...
(PICSI), semi-viscous and yellow in colour.
Its components come mainly from
granulosa cells
A granulosa cell or follicular cell is a somatic cell of the sex cord that is closely associated with the developing female gamete (called an oocyte or egg) in the ovary of mammals.
Structure and function
In the primordial ovarian follicle, and l ...
.
References
External links
*
*
Diagram at med.mun.ca
Mammal female reproductive system
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