Primary amenorrhea
Primary amenorrhea is defined as failure to menstruate by age 16 in patients with normal secondary sexual characteristics or the failure to menstruate by age 14 in patients with no…
Delayed or absent puberty
html xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”> 29 Delayed or absent puberty Delayed puberty is defined as the absence of secondary sexual characteristics at age 13 in girls and 16 in boys (Chapters 11 and…
Precocious puberty
The remaining cases of complete isosexual precocity are caused by central nervous system (CNS) lesions. These lesions include neoplasms, trauma, hydrocephalus, postinfectious encephalitis, congenital brain defects, tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis…
Contraception
The risk of pregnancy without contraception is 2–4% for each unprotected act of intercourse. In 100 women using no contraception, 85 pregnancies occur per year. Approximately half of all pregnancies…
The breast and lactation
Development of the breast The human mammary gland is derived from ectoderm. It is first visible in the 4-week embryo as a bud or nodule of epithelial tissue appearing along…
Microscopic anatomy of the female reproductive tract
Ovary The ovary has two distinct functions: germ cell production and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Germ cell support occurs in microscopic structures known as ovarian follicles. Resting follicles each contain a…
Maternal adaptations to pregnancy: II
Thyroid gland Maternal thyroid hormone is critical for normal embryonic and fetal development. Among the hepatic proteins stimulated by the elevated circulating levels of estrogen in pregnancy is thyroid-binding globulin…
Reproductive genetics
Chromosomes Human chromosomes are complex structures consisting of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein. Each single helix of DNA is bound at each end with a telomere and…
Fertilization and the establishment of pregnancy
The egg At ovulation, the egg is arrested in metaphase of the second meiotic division (Chapter 4). It is surrounded by a proteinaceous sphere called the zona pellucida. Those granulosa…
