Review Questions
Sperm are produced in the ________.
A. scrotum
B. seminal vesicles
C. seminiferous tubules
D. prostate gland
- Answer
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C
Which female organ has an endometrial lining that will support a developing baby?
A. labia minora
B. breast
C. ovaries
D. uterus
- Answer
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D
Which hormone causes FSH and LH to be released?
A. testosterone
B. estrogen
C. GnRH
D. progesterone
- Answer
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C
Nutrient and waste requirements for the developing fetus are handled during the first few weeks by ________.
A. the placenta
B. diffusion through the endometrium
C. the chorion
D. the blastocyst
- Answer
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B
Which hormone is primarily responsible for the contractions during labor?
A. oxytocin
B. estrogen
C. β-HCG
D. progesterone
- Answer
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A
Free Response
Compare spermatogenesis and oogenesis as to timing of the processes, and the number and type of cells finally produced.
- Answer
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Stem cells are laid down in the male during gestation and lie dormant until adolescence. Stem cells in the female increase to one to two million and enter the first meiotic division and are arrested in prophase. At adolescence, spermatogenesis begins and continues until death, producing the maximum number of sperm with each meiotic division. Oogenesis continues again at adolescence in batches of eggs with each menstrual cycle. These primary oocytes finish the first meiotic division, producing a viable egg with most of the cytoplasm and its contents, and a second cell called a polar body containing 23 chromosomes. The second meiotic division is initiated and arrested in metaphase. At ovulation, one egg is released. If this egg is fertilized, it finishes the second meiotic division. This is a diploid, fertilized egg.
Describe the events in the ovarian cycle leading up to ovulation.
- Answer
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Low levels of progesterone allow the hypothalamus to send GnRH to the anterior pituitary and cause the release of FSH and LH. FSH stimulates follicles on the ovary to grow and prepare the eggs for ovulation. As the follicles increase in size, they begin to release estrogen and a low level of progesterone into the blood. The level of estrogen rises to a peak, causing a spike in the concentration of LH. This causes the most mature follicle to rupture and ovulation occurs.
Describe the stages of labor.
- Answer
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Stage one of labor results in uterine contractions, which thin the cervix and dilate the cervical opening. Stage two delivers the baby, and stage three delivers the placenta.