MENSTRUAL CYCLE Flashcards
is episodic uterine bleeding in response to cyclic hormonal changes.
menstrual cycle (the female reproductive cycle)
The purpose of a menstrual cycle is to _______ and ________ that will be necessary for the ova’s growth should it be fertilized.
bring an ovum to maturity and renew a uterine tissue bed
First menstruation
Menarche
First menstruation may occur as early as _______.
9 years of age
It is good to include health teaching information on menstruation to both school-age children and their parents as early as ______ as part of routine care.
fourth grade
The length of menstrual cycles differs from woman to woman. The average length is __ days (from the beginning of one menstrual flow to the beginning of the next).
28
It is not unusual for cycles to be as short as __ days or as long as __ days.
23; 35
The length of the average menstrual flow (termed ___) is ____ days
menses; 4 to 6
although women may have flows as short as _ days or as long as _ days (Ledger, 2012).
2; 9
Average age at onset, 12.4 years; average range, 9–17 years
Beginning (menarche)
Average, 28 days; cycles of 23–35 days not unusual
Interval between cycles
Average flow, 4–6 days; ranges of 2–9 days not abnormal
Duration of menstrual flow
Difficult to estimate;
• Average 30–80 ml per
menstrual period;
• Saturating a pad or tampon in
less than 1 hr is heavy bleeding
Amount
• Dark red;
• A combination of blood,
mucus, and endometrial cells
Color
Similar to marigolds
Odor
The Physiology of Menstruation
-Four body structures are involved:
- hypothalamus
- Anterior pituitary gland
- ovaries
- uterus
For a menstrual cycle to be complete, ______.
all four organs must contribute their part.
inactivity of any part results in ______.
an incomplete or ineffective cycle
- Hypothalamus
Release of the ____ from the hypothalamus initiates the menstrual cycle.
GnRH
also called luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone [LHRH]
GnRH(Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone)
- Hypothalamus
GnRH then stimulates the _____ to send the gonadotropic hormone to the ____ to produce_____.
pituitary gland ; ovaries; estrogen
- Hypothalamus
When the level of estrogen rises, release of GnRH is ____ and no further menstrual cycles will occur.
repressed
adenohypophysis
The Anterior lobe of the Pituitary Gland
- The Anterior lobe of the Pituitary Gland (the adenohypophysis)
-Under the influence of GnRH, produces two hormones:
FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone) & LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
a hormone active early in the cycle that is responsible for maturation of the ovum
FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone)
a hormone that becomes most active at the midpoint of the cycle and is responsible for ovulation, or release of the mature egg cell from the ovary.
LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
It also stimulates growth of the uterine lining during the second half of the menstrual cycle.
LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
- The Ovaries
Every month during the fertile period of a woman’s life (from menarche to menopause), one of the ovary’s ____ is activated by___ to begin to ___ and ____.
oocytes; FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone); grow and mature
- The Ovaries
As the oocyte grows, its cells produce a clear fluid ____
follicular fluid
- The Ovaries
As the oocyte grows, its cells produce a clear fluid that contains a high degree of ___ and some ____.
estrogen; progesterone
- The Ovaries
As the follicle surrounding the oocyte grows, it is propelled___ the surface of the ovary.
toward
- The Ovaries
At full maturity, the ____ is visible on the surface of the ovary as a ______ approximately __ to ___ in. across.
follicle; clear water blister; 0.25 to 0.5
- The Ovaries
At this stage of maturation, the small ovum (barely visible to the naked eye, about the size of a printed period) with its surrounding follicular membrane and fluid is termed a _______.
graafian follicle
- The Ovaries
By day 14 or the midpoint of a typical 28-day cycle, the ovum has divided by mitotic division into two separate bodies:
1.
2.
- a primary oocyte
- a secondary oocyte
contains the bulk of the cytoplasm
primary oocyte
contains so little cytoplasm that it is not functional.
secondary oocyte
- The Ovaries
The structure also has accomplished its ___ division, reducing its number of chromosomes to the haploid (having only one member of a pair) number of __.
meiotic; 23
- The Ovaries
After an upsurge of LH from the pituitary at about day 14, _____ are released and the graafian follicle _____.
prostaglandins; ruptures
- The Ovaries
The ovum is set free from the surface of the ovary, a process termed _____. It is swept into the _____ of a fallopian tube.
ovulation; open end
- The Ovaries
It is important to teach women that ovulation does not necessarily occur on the __ day of their cycle; it occurs _____ the end of their cycle.
14th; 14 days before the end of their cycle
- The Ovaries
If their menstrual cycle is only 20 days long, for example, their day of ovulation would be day _.
day 6 (14 days before the end of the cycle).
- The Ovaries
If their cycle is 44 days long, ovulation would occur on day __.
day 30, not at the halfway point— day 22.
- The Ovaries
After the ovum and the follicular fluid have been discharged from the ovary, the cells of the follicle remain in the form of a ______ pit.
hollow, empty
- The Ovaries
The FSH has done its work at this point and now____ in amount.
decreases
- The Ovaries
The second pituitary hormone, __, continues to ___ in amount and directs the follicle cells left behind in the ovary to produce ___, a bright- yellow fluid high in progesterone.
LH; rise; lutein
- The Ovaries
With lutein production, the follicle is renamed a ____ (yellow body).
corpus luteum
- The Ovaries
The basal body temperature of a woman drops slightly (by ___) just before the day of ovulation because of the extremely low level of____ that is present at that time.
0.5° to 1°F; progesterone
- The Ovaries
It rises by __ on the day ___ ovulation because of the concentration of progesterone, which is _____.
1°F; after; thermogenic
- The Ovaries
The woman’s temperature remains at this elevated level until approximately day __ of the menstrual cycle, when the progesterone level again ____ (Huether & McCance, 2012).
24; decreases
- The Ovaries
If conception (fertilization by a spermatozoon) occurs as the ovum proceeds down a fallopian tube and the fertilized ovum implants on the ______ of the uterus, the _____ remains throughout the major portion of the pregnancy (to about _____).
endometrium; corpus luteum ; 16 to 20 weeks
- The Ovaries
If conception does not occur, the unfertilized ovum ____ after _____ days, and the corpus luteum (now called a ______) remains for only ______.
atrophies; 4 or 5; “false” corpus luteum; 8 to 10 days.
- The Ovaries
As the corpus luteum regresses, it is gradually replaced by ______, and the resulting structure is termed a _____ (white body).
white fibrous tissue; corpus albicans
- The Uterus
Uterine changes that occur monthly as a result of stimulation from the _______ produced by the ovaries.
estrogen and progesterone
fertilization by a spermatozoon
conception
Beginning (menarche)
Average age at onset, __ years; average range, ___ years
12.4 years; 9–17 years
Interval between cycles
Average, __ days; cycles of _____ days not unusual
28; 23–35
Duration of menstrual flow
Average flow, ___ days; ranges of ___ days not abnormal
4–6; 2–9
Amount
Average ____ ml per
menstrual period
30–80 ml
Color
Dark red
Odor
Similar to marigolds
LHRH
luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone
Immediately after a menstrual flow (which occurs during the first 4 or 5 days of a cycle)
The First Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Proliferative)
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, is very thin, approximately _____ in depth.
The First Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Proliferative); one cell layer
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
As the ovary begins to produce estrogen (in the follicular fluid, under the direction of the pituitary FSH), the endometrium begins to _____ so rapidly the thickness of the endometrium increases as much as ____ from day 5 to day 14.
The First Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Proliferative); proliferate; eightfold
ALSO CALLED the proliferative, estrogenic, follicular, or postmenstrual phase.
The First Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Proliferative)
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
After ovulation, the formation of ____ in the corpus luteum (under the direction of LH) causes the glands of the uterine endometrium to become _____ in appearance and dilated with quantities of _____ (an elementary sugar) and ____ (a protein).
The Second Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Secretory); progesterone; corkscrew or twisted; glycogen and mucin
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
It takes on the appearance of _______.
The Second Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Secretory); rich, spongy velvet.
Is termed the progestational, luteal, premenstrual, or secretory phase.
The Second Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Secretory)
The Second Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Secretory)
Is termed the progestational, luteal, premenstrual, or secretory phase.
The First Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Proliferative)
ALSO CALLED the proliferative, estrogenic, follicular, or postmenstrual phase.
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
If fertilization does not occur, the corpus luteum in the ovary begins to ____ after 8 to 10 days, and therefore, the production of progesterone _____.
The Third Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Ischemic); regress; decreases
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
With the withdrawal of _____, the endometrium of the uterus begins to _____ (at about day 24 or day 25 of the cycle).
The Third Phase of the Menstrual Cycle; progesterone; degenerate
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
The ____ rupture, with minute hemorrhages, and the _____ sloughs off.
The Third Phase of the Menstrual Cycle; capillaries; endometrium
Which phase of the menstrual cycle?
Because it is the only external marker of the cycle, however, the___ day of menstrual flow is used to mark the beginning day of a new menstrual cycle.
The Fourth Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
(Menses); first
Menses, or a menstrual flow, is composed of:
1) a mixture of blood from the ruptured capillaries;
2) mucin;
3) fragments of endometrial tissue; and
4) the microscopic, atrophied, and unfertilized ovum.
Contrary to common belief, a menstrual flow contains only ____ of blood;
30 to 80 ml
if it seems to be more, it is because of the _______.
accompanying mucus and endometrial shreds
The iron loss in a typical menstrual flow is approximately ___.
11 mg
