How do the ovaries count? (Q1119500)

A model of follicle maturation and its regulation is presented which consists of a system of ordinary autonomous differential equations for the degree of maturity of follicles at time t. Each follicle in an interacting follicle population is assumed to inherit the same plan of development expressed in the model by a maturation function. The primary interaction between follicles occurs through circulatory feedback mediated by the global estradiol concentration in the system which is the sum of the contributions made by each follicle in the course of its maturing. Follicles are activated to grow from a nonsecreting, dormant pool of immature follicles (ovary) during a cycle at random times. For the generation of such a sequence of activation times a Poisson process is taken. The maturation function is assumed to be a composite of 3 functions. Numerical solutions of the formulated initial value problem using specific follicle maturation functions demonstrate their self-organizing capacity to produce coordinated cycles of follicle maturation with a controlled number of follicles that reach full maturity. That number turns out to be independent of the size of the follicle population and insensitive to the rate of activation. Some other physiological and pathological phenomena of spontaneous or induced ovulators, of anovulation and spontaneous transitions from a cyclic to noncyclic state may also be explained by model simulation with specific parameter values of the model equations.