An ovum is a mature female sexual reproductive cell that with the potential to divide and develop into an embryo if fertilized by a male cell (sperm). It is an unfertilized female gamete. An ovum is often referred to as a female egg.
Each month during the female reproductive cycle, an ovum is released by the ovaries. If the ovum is fertilized, it becomes a zygote and travels down the fallopian tubes and will then either attach itself to the uterine wall resulting in pregnancy or will pass through the uterus during menstration as when the ovum is not fertilized.
