Gametogenesis, fertilization, hormonal cycles, pregnancy, lactation, sex determination.
Reproductive Physiology
Gametogenesis
Production of haploid gametes by meiosis + differentiation. Spermatogenesis: continuous, ~64 days, 4 sperm per precursor. Oogenesis:…
Menstrual cycle
~28-day hormonal cycle coordinating ovarian (follicular → ovulation → luteal) and endometrial phases. Driven by GnRH-FSH-LH with estrogen +…
Sex determination
Mechanisms specifying sexual phenotype. Mammals: XY chromosomal, SRY triggers testis differentiation. Birds: ZW, females heterogametic.…
Pregnancy
Gestation: implantation → placentation → fetal development → parturition. Human: ~40 weeks. Hormonal support by hCG (corpus luteum rescue),…
Lactation
Milk production + ejection by mammary epithelium. Prolactin drives synthesis; oxytocin triggers let-down via myoepithelial contraction.…
Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis
GnRH (hypothalamus) → LH/FSH (pituitary) → sex steroids (gonad). Negative + positive feedback loops. Central regulator of puberty,…
Spermatogenesis
Diploid spermatogonia → haploid spermatozoa via meiosis + spermiogenesis in seminiferous tubules. Continuous in males from puberty; ~64…
Oogenesis
Primary oocytes arrest in prophase I in utero; complete meiosis I at ovulation; meiosis II at fertilisation. Asymmetric divisions produce…
Acrosome reaction
Sperm surface Ca²⁺ influx triggers exocytosis of acrosomal hydrolases, enabling penetration of zona pellucida. Followed by membrane fusion…
Parturition (labour)
Oxytocin + prostaglandin-driven uterine contractions at term. Positive feedback: Ferguson reflex. Three stages: cervical dilation,…
HPG pulsatile oscillator
GnRH pulse-generator (arcuate KNDy neurons) drives ~hourly LH/FSH pulses; modelled as relaxation oscillator with kisspeptin-NKB excitation…
Parental conflict genomic imprinting (Haig)
Haig 1993 kinship theory: paternally vs maternally inherited alleles have asymmetric inclusive-fitness interests at viviparous interface,…
HPG axis (Knobil 1980)
E Knobil 1980 GnRH pulse-generator; modern menstrual + estrous cycle + LH-surge models; clinical IVF.
IVF (Edwards-Steptoe 1978)
Edwards-Steptoe 1978 first IVF Louise Brown; Edwards Nobel 2010; modern ICSI + PGS/PGD + 8M+ IVF babies.
Placenta evolution (Wagner 2014)
G Wagner 2014 placenta-evolution; syncytin-1 endogenous-retrovirus origin; modern preeclampsia + fetal-medicine.
Sperm competition (Parker 1970)
G Parker 1970 sperm-competition theory; modern post-copulatory sexual-selection + cryptic-female-choice.
Pill (Pincus 1957)
G Pincus 1957 + Searle Enovid 1960 oral-contraceptive; modern progestin + LARC + emergency-contraception.
mtDNA (Giles 1980)
Giles-Blanc-Cann-Wallace 1980 maternal mtDNA inheritance; modern Mitochondrial-Eve Cann 1987; basis of mitochondrial-medicine + 3-parent…
MPF (Masui-Markert 1971)
Y Masui-C Markert 1971 + Hartwell-Hunt-Nurse Nobel 2001 MPF cyclin-CDK1; modern modern foundational + cell-cycle gametogenesis.
SRY (Sinclair 1990)
A Sinclair-Goodfellow 1990 SRY mammalian-sex; modern modern foundational text + HMG-box + 2024 ZRY enhancer-rearrangement DSDs.
hCG (Aschheim-Zondek 1928)
S Aschheim-B Zondek 1928 hCG-pregnancy-test; modern modern foundational text + monoclonal-Ab + 2024 home-pregnancy + IVF success-monitoring.
IVF (Edwards-Steptoe 1978)
R Edwards-P Steptoe 1978 (Edwards Nobel 2010) Louise-Brown first IVF; modern modern foundational + ICSI + PGT + 12M+ IVF babies 2024.
Knaus-Ogino (1929)
K Knaus 1929 + Ogino 1924 menstrual-cycle ovulation; modern modern foundational text + LH-surge + 2024 fertility-tracking-app pearl-index.
Placentation (Yoshida 2007)
Y Yoshida 2007 trophoblast-stem-cell + Tarrade 1997 syncytiotrophoblast; modern modern foundational + preeclampsia + 2024 placenta-organoid.