[Oogonia degeneration in human pre- and perinatal oogenesis]

The number of the degenerating sex cells is extremely small in the period between the 6th and 12th-13th weeks of the intra-uterine development. The cells are represented by isolated oogonia at the interphase or mitosis and by oocytes. The number of the degenerating sex cells increases after the 13th week. Nearly all of them are represented by oocytes at all the stages of the meiosis prophase I. From the 26th week one may observe an intensive degeneration of the cells which is represented mostly by oocytes in diplo- and dictyotene.