THE SHEEP OVARY: REGULATION OF STEROIDOGENIC, HAEMODYNAMIC AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE LARGEST FOLLICLE AND ADJACENT TISSUE BEFORE OVULATION

Agricultural Research Council Unit of Reproductive Physiology and Biochemistry, 307 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0JQ and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000 INTRODUCTION Important changes occur in the follicle that is destined to ovulate and also in the surrounding ovarian tissue of sheep during the 72 hr preceding ovulation. It is our purpose to describe the morphological and functional changes that take place in large follicles during the preovulatory period and to relate these to the local ovarian environment and general endocrine status prevailing at this time. A consideration of changes in the structure, blood supply and function of the ovaries in vivo, is followed by a discussion of the functional capacity of the individual ovarian components when isolated and studied in vitro. Against this background, the nature and sequence of events that occur in the preovulatory follicle and the mechanisms which regulate them