Oocyte meiotic resumption upon puberty

A primordial follicle grows sequentially through primary, secondary, early antral, and late antral stages, during which the oocyte remains arrested at prophase of meiosis I. Until puberty, all the growing follicles regress and the oocyte is never stimulated to resume meiosis. Meiotic arrest is maintained by communication with surrounding somatic cells while the release of meiotic arrest is a result of a breakdown in this cell-cell communication. These changes are initiated by the surge of pituitary gonadotropins, which start at puberty, and therefore mark the start of fertile life. This article describes (1) the interaction between somatic cells and oocytes before puberty and (2) the changes caused by puberty onset in the ovary that leads to the meiotic resumption of oocyte.