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Fertility Control pp 3–27Cite as

New Insights into Ovarian Function

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 198))

Abstract

Infertility adversely affects many couples worldwide. Conversely, the exponential increase in world population threatens our planet and its resources. Therefore, a greater understanding of the fundamental cellular and molecular events that control the size of the primordial follicle pool and follicular development is of utmost importance to develop improved in vitro fertilization as well as to design novel approaches to regulate fertility. In this review we attempt to highlight some new advances in basic research of the mammalian ovary that have occurred in recent years focusing primarily on mouse models that have contributed to our understanding of ovarian follicle formation, development, and ovulation. We hope that these new insights into ovarian function will trigger more research and translation to clinically relevant problems.

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Acknowledgment

Supported, in part, by NIH-HD-16229, -16272, -07945 (SCCPIR)(JSR)Burroughs Welkome Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Caroline Weiss Law Fund for Molecular Medicine (SAP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, BCM130, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    JoAnne S. Richards & Stephanie A. Pangas

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  1. JoAnne S. Richards
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  2. Stephanie A. Pangas
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Correspondence to JoAnne S. Richards .

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  1. , Women's Health Care Research, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, 13342, Berlin, Germany

    Ursula-F. Habenicht

  2. ARC Centre of Excellence in, Biotechnology & Development, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308, New South Wales, Australia

    R. John Aitken

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Richards, J.S., Pangas, S.A. (2010). New Insights into Ovarian Function. In: Habenicht, UF., Aitken, R. (eds) Fertility Control. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 198. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02062-9_1

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