Female Physiology Flashcards
What are the female sex hormones? And where are they found?
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) - pituitary Luteinising hormone (LH) - pituitary Oestrogen - ovary Progesterone - ovary
Briefly outline the menstrual cycle
follicular phase - FSH peaks, stimulating follicles to develop and mature.
Oestrogen increases, thickening the endometrial lining of uterus.
The developing follicles produce oestrogen and progesterone - acting as -ve feedback on hypothalamus and AP gland.
One of the follicles gets bigger than the rest and the others regress - the Graafian follicle.
Oestrogen peaks, causing surge in LH production.
Increase in LH causes ovulation (day 14).
Luteal phase - progesterone prepares the endometrium for implantation, protecting the uterus.
If fertilisation does not occur, progesterone exerts a -ve feedback on LH and FSH release, causing menstruation.
You also get an increased core temp during luteal phase
Why do we get fluctuations in body composition?
Due to alterations in fluid regulations - progesterone has a diuretic effect and in the follicular phase there is greater Na and so water retention
What changes occur to metabolism and in what phase?
During the luteal phase, lipid metabolism is enhanced and muscle glycogen sparing occurs, likely due to elevated oestrogen levels.
In the follicular phase, a higher blood lactate conc in response to exercise.
Why might females take longer to acclimatise to exercise in the heat?
In the L phase, there is increased progesterone which elevates core temp.
Lower blood volume than men - the increase in progesterone in L phase can act as diuretic.
So essentially females have a lower capacity for heat loss and sweating.
What other non-hormonal factors limit female performance in comparison to males?
Females have a higher fat mass and a lower red blood cell count.
What components make up the female athlete triad?
Low energy availability, low bone density and menstrual dysfunction
