Human neonatal ovary: proposal of a three-dimensional model

A model of human neonatal ovary is presented, derived from morphometric, evaluations carried out on left ovaries removed from five full-term neonates with a 46, XX karyotype, free from malformations of the genital apparatus. According to this model, the gonad can be represented by a triaxial ellipsoid with a central medullary core surrounded by a cortical stratum of constant thickness. The germinal population, consisting of follicles and primitive cortical tissue, occupies the cortex, intermingled with the interstitium or stroma. In the cortex it is then possible to describe an outer layer formed by primitive cortical tissue, and an inner portion occupied by follicles. The primary and secondary follicles fill the portion near the medulla and the primordial ones are contained in the middle and outer zones. Since the variability observed among ovaries is slight, we can propose a mean model of neonatal ovary in which the spatial relationships among the different components, the total number of follicles and their position in the cortex can be calculated.