<Tr> <Th> FMA </Th> <Td> 18641 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Anatomical terminology (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> An ovarian follicle is a roughly spheroid cellular aggregation set found in the ovaries . It secretes hormones that influence stages of the menstrual cycle . Women begin puberty with about 400,000 follicles, each with the potential to release an egg cell (ovum) at ovulation for fertilization . These eggs are developed once every menstrual cycle . </P> <P> Ovarian follicles are the basic units of female reproductive biology . Each of them contains a single oocyte (immature ovum or egg cell). These structures are periodically initiated to grow and develop, culminating in ovulation of usually a single competent oocyte in humans . They also consist of granulosa cells and theca of follicle . </P>

The release of an egg cell is called