Jump to content

oocyte vs egg

From michaelbeijer.co.uk
Revision as of 18:19, 3 January 2025 by M.Beijer (talk | contribs)
oocyte/ovocyte= an immature egg cell/ovum
egg (or ovum) = mature egg cell/ovum

An oocyte is an immature egg cell. The oocyte will eventually break free from the follicle and travel down the fallopian tube – at which point it's called an egg (or ovum, if you're that way inclined). Once the egg gets fertilised by the sperm, it's a zygote.[1]

A developing egg is called an oocyte. Its differentiation into a mature egg (or ovum) involves a series of changes whose timing is geared to the steps of meiosis in which the germ cells go through their two final, highly specialized divisions.[2]

An oocyte (/ˈoʊəsaɪt/, oöcyte, or ovocyte is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in a female fetus in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female germ cells produce a primordial germ cell (PGC), which then undergoes mitosis, forming oogonia. During oogenesis, the oogonia become primary oocytes. An oocyte is a form of genetic material that can be collected for cryoconservation.[3]


References