First-ever video shows an egg ‘exploding’ from the ovaries during ovulation – and it’s no wonder it hurts
FOR the first time, scientists have been able to capture the process of ovulation on video in astounding detail.
A breathtaking new clip shows a pulsing egg cell exploding out of its follicle - a sac in the ovaries that houses immature eggs before they're released for fertilisation.
It shows the follicle bulging before releasing the egg in a rupture of cells and fluid.
Ovulation is the phase of the menstrual cycle when the ovary releases an egg for it to travel down the fallopian tube to be fertilised by sperm.
Despite the violent ejection of the egg from the sac, it's not usually a painful process - though some women might experience sharp twinges or a dull ache while ovulating.
The menstrual cycle is centred around this egg release process, which tends to happen midway through the 28-day cycle.
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If the egg isn't fertilised by sperm - which would result in a pregnancy - the egg is reabsorbed into the body 12 to hours later and falling hormone levels trigger the start of your period.
If the egg does come into contact with sperm, it can attach itself to the lining of the womb and develop into an embryo.
Women start developing and releasing eggs once they start their period and will probably ovulate around 400 times.
Around 15 to 30 eggs will mature in their sacs during each cycle, though only the largest and best-developed follicle ultimately releases its egg.
The follicle will swell until it ruptures at ovulation to release the egg.
This is the moment captured in astounding detail by scientists at the , who documented the entire process of ovulation in mouse follicles in real-time.
The team used follicles extracted from mice and then grown in petri dishes, before being encouraged to ovulate with the help of specific hormones.
The clip in question shows a mature mouse egg cell being explosively explosively expelled from its fluid-filled sac into a lab dish.
The new live imaging method developed by the team allows for the process of ovulation to be studied in unprecedented detail and could contribute to fertility research.
Researchers said the actual process of ovulation remains poorly understood as ovaries are nestled deep within the body, making them difficult to access.
On top of this, it can be hard to know when exactly ovulation will occur - it happens in a very narrow time frame and we can't predict which of the two ovaries will release an egg on any given month.
During follicle contraction, smooth muscle cells in the outer follicle layer cause the follicle to contract.
Tabea Lilian Marx, who co-authored the research, added: “When the follicle ruptures, which happens in the third phase, the egg is released and ovulation is complete.
“The surface of the follicle bulges outward and eventually ruptures, releasing the follicular fluid, the cumulus cells, and, finally, the egg."
After ovulation, the follicle forms a structure known as the corpus luteum, which produces the hormone progesterone to prepare the uterus for the implantation of an embryo.
If the egg is not fertilised or the fertilised egg doesn't implant in the womb, the corpus luteum regresses after 14 days and a new menstrual cycle begins.
Dr Schuh said: “Our findings show that ovulation is a remarkably robust process.
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"Although an external stimulus is essential to trigger ovulation, the subsequent processes operate independently of the rest of the ovary, as all the necessary information is contained within the follicle itself.
“With our new method, we and other researchers can further investigate the mechanisms of ovulation and hopefully gain new insights for human fertility research.”