Normally, one ovum is released every 28 days in human females. These 28 days constitute the menstrual cycle, which may vary in length, but on average, the cycle takes 28 days. A female is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and after the initiation of menstruation, one egg is released every 28 days until menopause.

At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates primary oocytes to resume meiosis. A spike in luteinizing hormone (LH) triggers ovulation. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are involved in thyroid hormone secretion, and in maintenance of the corpus luteum during pregnancy, respectively. Estrogen is a female sex hormone, and has an indirect regulatory role in meiotic divisions of ova.

An oocyte develops in the ovaries during female gametogenesis. If the oocyte eventually becomes an ovum and is fertilized in the fallopian tubes, the resulting gamete will be implanted in the uterus. The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall, and the cervix is the lower portion of the uterus that separates the vagina from the uterus.

When gametes join they form a cell called a zygote. Human sperm and eggs contain 23 chromosomes. Human zygotes contain 46 chromosomes. The type of cell division that produces gametes with half the normal chromosomes is called meiosis.  

During oogenesis—at the end of meiosis and cytokinesis—an oogonium divides into one mature ovum capable of being fertilized and three polar bodies that are reabsorbed, while a spermatogonium divides into four viable spermatozoa capable of fertilization.

A spermatid is the final product of spermatogenesis. It is a haploid cell, meaning it has only one copy of each allele (one of each chromosome instead of two). Normal diploid cells have two copies of each chromosome, for a total of 46. Spermatids have half this number, for a total of 23 chromosomes. Each chromosome is composed of only a single chromatid following division, for a total of 23 chromatids.

When the zygote is formed during the fusion of the sperm and egg cells, the final cell is diploid, containing 46 chromosomes (23 from each gamete).

An outline of spermatogenesis is given here for further understanding.

Spermatogenesis Timeline:

1) Spermatogonium (46 chromosomes, 92 chromatids)

- Has a pair of each chromosome, and each individual chromosome has two chromatids.

- Undergoes mitosis (normal cell division) to produce a primary speratocyte.

2) Primary spermatocyte (46 chromosomes, 46 chromatids)

- Has a pair of each chromosome and each individual chromosome has one chromatid.

- Then replicates its DNA, resulting in 46 chromosomes with 92 chromatids.

- Then undergoes meiosis I (homologous chromosome pairs separate), producing two secondary spermatocytes.

3) Secondary spermatocytes (23 chromosomes, 46 chromatids)

- Has one of each chromosome, and each individual chromosome has two chromatids.

- Each secondart spermatocyte undergoes meiosis II (chromatids of each chromosome separate, similar to mitosis), producing a total of four spermatids.

4) Spermatids (23 chromosomes, 23 chromatids).

- Has one of each chromosome, and each individual chromosome has one chromatid

Spermatogenesis occurs only in human males (in the testes), not in females. It is the process by which spermatids are formed via meiosis. The process of meiosis contributes to genetic diversity. This is why siblings are not identical to each other or to their parents.

Spermatogenesis is the process of producing the male gametes, spermatozoa (sperm). The spermatogonia in the seminiferous tubules of the testes mature into spermatocytes, which undergo meiosis to form spermatozoa. The spermatozoa complete their maturation process in the epididymas, then they are ready to enter the vas deferens before ejaculation. Lumen is a general term that means "an opening." Although spermatogenesis does occur in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules, the term lumen is too broad and is not the best answer. An ampulla is a general term that, in anatomy, means "the dilated end of a duct." There is an ampulla of the vas deferens before it enters the prostate gland, but spermatogenesis does not occur there. The prostate gland produces a milky, alkaline solution that comprises about 30% of semen. The seminal vesicles are glands that produce the majority of the solution that will become semen. Note the difference between semen (fluid) and sperm (cells).

Follicle-stimulating hormone may help to sequester testosterone in the testes (the Sertoli cells can perform the same function by releasing androgen-binding protein), but the only hormone needed to maintain spermatogenesis is testosterone itself. FSH is not needed for in-vitro maturation of spermatozoa, and thus cannot be said to be required inside the body for the process of spermatogenesis.

A very high level of testosterone (15-70 times greater than in the blood) is required for the initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis, and androgen-binding protein's most direct role is ensuring this high concentration of testosterone by preventing absorption of testosterone back into the body across the blood-testis barrier.