Hormones B3

Question 1

What are the 4 sex hormones in the menstrual cycle and what are their functions?

Answer 1

Oestrogen which stimulates the uterus lining growth. Progesterone which maintains the lining of the uterus. LH which stimulate the release of mature egg on day 14 (ovulation). FSH which stimulates the release of mature eggs in ovaries.

Question 2

What is the role of testosterone and where is it produced?

Answer 2

Testosterone is the main sex hormone, it’s produced in the tested and it stimulates sperm production and is important for the development of the male reproductive system.

Question 3

Which hormone maintains the lining of the uterus?

Answer 3

Progesterone

Question 4

Which hormone stimulates the egg follicle to mature?

Answer 4

FSH (Follicle stimulating hormone)

Question 5

Which hormone stimulates the egg to be released around day 14 (ovulation)?

Answer 5

LH (Luteinising hormone)

Question 6

Which hormone stimulates the uterus lining to develop?

Answer 6

Oestrogen

Question 7

Which organ are both luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone released from?

Answer 7

Pituitary gland

Question 8

What happens at stage 1 of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 8

Menstruation, which is the period of bleeding due to the breakdown of the uterus lining. This lasts 4 days.

Question 9

What happens at stage 2 of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 9

The uterus lining starts to build up again, its role is to prepare the uterus lining for a fertilised egg. This lasts 10 days.

Question 10

What happens at stage 3 of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 10

Ovulation, which is when the egg is released from the ovaries. This lasts 1 day.

Question 11

What happens at stage 4 of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 11

The uterus lining is maintained.

Question 12

What would happen if there was no fertilised egg at the uterus at the end of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 12

The uterus wall begins to breakdown and the process is repeated once again.

Question 13

What would happen if there was a fertilised egg at the uterus at the end of the menstrual cycle?

Answer 13

The fertilised egg would implant into the uterus lining and would slowly develop into a foetus. The menstrual cycle would stop because there would be no need for it.

Question 14

What is puberty and an example of it?

Answer 14

Puberty is the period in which adolescents start to develop sexual characteristics such as facial hair in men (by testosterone) and breast development in women (by oestrogen)

Question 15

Describe the process of the menstrual cycle.

Answer 15

Firstly, the women goes through menstruation which is the period of bleeding as the uterus lining breaks down. This lasts 4 days. Then the uterus lining starts to build up again due to oestrogen. This lasts 10 days. Then ovulation begins, this is where eggs are released from the ovaries into the uterus. Finally the maintaining of the uterus lining.

Question 16

How long is the average menstrual cycle?

Answer 16

28 days

Question 17

What is infertility?

Answer 17

Infertility is when people cannot get pregnant or have kids.

Question 18

What is the simple way of treating infertility?

Answer 18

Infertile women have low levels of FSH, meaning their eggs can’t mature, so they are given FSH in the form of a pill and then later given LH to stimulate ovulation (release of egg)

Question 19

Describe the process of IVF being given to a women.

Answer 19

Women are given FSH and LH to stimulate eggs maturing and ovulation. Eggs are then collected from women’s ovaries and fertilised by the sperm of the father. The fertilised eggs are then placed into an incubator and are left to grow into embryos. Once the embryos have grown, they will be taken out and inserted into the mother’s uterus. The embryos will finally develop into a foetus.

Question 20

What could a male do if he has a low sperm count and wants to have a baby?

Answer 20

A man can undergo ICSI, which is where sperm is injected into the egg by a tiny needle.

Question 21

What are the pros of IVF?

Answer 21

Infertile couples can have babies.

Question 22

What are the cons of IVF?

Answer 22

IVF doesn’t always work so it can be stressful, emotionally upsetting. It can also cause the mother abdominal pain and vomiting. Also when multiple embryos are inserted into the uterus it can lead to multiple births, which puts mothers at a higher risk of a miscarriage.

Question 23

Why can IVF be unethical?

Answer 23

IVF can be unethical as it puts unused embryos in the uterus which are eventually destroyed although they had the potential for human life. It can also lead to ‘designer babies’ where parents could select the embryos with certain traits.

Question 24

Why are embryos kept in an incubator at a lab?

Answer 24

Embryos are kept in an incubator to provide the optimum temperature for enzymes and thus cell growth.