When do the stem cells of the ovaries multiply?

The correct answer highlights that stem cells of the ovaries multiply during fetal growth. This is a crucial period in ovarian development as the primordial germ cells migrate to the gonadal ridge and begin to proliferate, forming several initial oocytes. This multiplication continues until the early stages of fetal development, after which the number of oocytes typically declines.

During early childhood, there is generally no significant multiplication of ovarian stem cells; rather, the focus during this period is on the maturation and arrest of the oocytes developed during fetal growth. Puberty marks the stage when oocyte maturation resumes, but it is not a phase of stem cell multiplication. Thus, identifying fetal growth as the timeframe for this critical stem cell proliferation aligns with the biological processes involved in ovarian development.