ŌvSim: a Simulation of the Population Dynamics of Mammalian Ovarian Follicles

No two ovaries are alike, and indeed, the same ovary can change its architecture from day to day. This is because ovarian follicles are present in different numbers, positions, and states of maturation throughout reproductive life. All possible developmental states of follicles can be represented at any time, along with follicles that have committed to death (termed follicle atresia). Static histological and whole-mount imaging approaches allow snapshots of what is occurring within ovaries, but our views of dynamic follicle growth and death have been limited to these tools. We present a simple Markov chain model of the complex mouse ovary, called \"[O]vSim\". In the model, follicles can exis