The First Ovarian Workshop was held in June 1976; its goal was to achieve a collective understanding of current thought on ovarian follicular development and function, and to generate clear definitions of the most important areas to be explored in the future. The Ovarian Workshops quickly became a major biennial event for the community of reproduc­ tive biologists and their students studying ovarian function. As a young graduate student, I gave my first scientific presentation at the First Ovarian Workshop and I have attended all but one of the subsequent meetings. The Workshops provided a unique forum for the sharing ofideas with colleagues studying closely related problems. I was therefore especially pleased to have been asked to organize the Seventh Ovarian Workshop and to be given an opportunity to help perpetuate these important meetings. The Seventh Ovarian Workshop was held on the campus of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington on July 31 and August 1, 1988. Serono Symposia USA generously financed and coordinated the meeting. I would like to express my particular thanks to Dr. L. Lisa Kern and Dr. James Posillico for their invaluable help prior to, during, and after the meeting. I would also like to thank Mary Benson and her staff at the University of Puget Sound who made us feel at home in every way.