What does the egg look like?

What is an egg is known to everyone, but how it looks outwardly - not everyone can imagine. Let's talk in more detail about the female sex cell, and separately we will dwell on the peculiarities of its external structure in this or that period of the menstrual cycle.

What changes does the egg undergo in the cycle of menstruation?

As is known, sex cells in women are formed at the stage of intrauterine development. Monthly, with the onset of puberty, the egg leaves the follicle for fertilization. Rarely for one cycle in the abdominal cavity can go to 2-3 eggs.

As for the external structure, the female ovum looks like a small, spherical-shaped anatomical formation. Outside it is covered with a dense shell, which protects the inner contents and the core from external negative influences.

When in the body of a woman there is such a process as ovulation, the egg grows slightly and looks "swollen". This softens its outer shell. This is necessary in order to increase the permeability of the membrane for male germ cells during fertilization.

If the time of sexual intercourse coincides with ovulation, the probability of conception is great . After that, the appearance of the female sex cell somewhat changes. The fertilized egg looks almost the same as before, but the outer membrane is again compacted. At the same time, within the cell itself, it is possible to see 2 nuclei (1 from the spermatozoon) using an electron microscope, which merge and begin to divide.

After fertilization, the egg looks like a diploid cell, i.e. the set of chromosomes doubles.

What happens to the egg after ovulation?

If fertilization does not occur, then literally a day after the release the egg dies. All of its organelles, together with the membranes, go out, mixing with menstrual blood and particles of the uterine endometrium. Therefore, if we talk about how the egg looks like with the monthly, it should be noted that by now, as such, it no longer exists. However, at the same time in the ovaries a new germ cell ripens inside the follicle, gradually increasing in size.