图示成年人卵巢，可见两个黄体。图上方大者为月经期间黄体出血。下方小者为上次月经后形成的退化的黄体。如果卵子受精，黄体便产生雌激素和孕激素，称为妊娠黄体。黄体功能于妊娠10周左右由胎盘代替，胎盘合成各种激素和酶。新生儿出生时大约有40万个卵泡，但是到生育期只有400个发育成熟并经排卵过程排出。
This is an adult ovary with two corpora lutea. The larger one at the top is a hemorrhagic corpus luteum of menstruation, and the smaller one at the bottom is involuting from a previous menstrual period. If implantation of a fertilized ovum occurs, then the corpus luteum will persist because of HCG from the placenta. Of 400,000 ovarian follicles present at birth, only about 400 will mature to the point of ovulation during childbearing years.