Figure 5

Schematic representation of the follicle’s progression through the growth stages. The dominant follicle undergoes three different growth stages during its development. The growing stage (yellow portion of the arrow) is characterised by a quick increase in diameter and the proliferation of granulosa cells. The mitoses slow down during the plateau phase (orange portion of the arrow), and the cells start a differentiation process. At this point, the follicle can take two different paths: progress toward the pre-ovulatory stage and ovulation (grey portion of the arrow) or become atretic (brown portion of the arrow), a stage characterised by an increase in apoptosis and cell death.