Menstrual Cycle Flashcards
Explain stage 1 of the menstrual cycle…
Day 1 is when the bleeding starts. The uterus lining breaks down for about four days.
Explain stage 2 of the menstrual cycle…
The lining of the uterus builds up again, from day 4 to day 14, into a thick spongy layer full of blood vessels, ready to receive a fertilised egg.
Explain stage 3 of the menstrual cycle…
An egg is released from the ovary at day 14.
Explain stage 4 of the menstrual cycle…
The wall is then maintained fro about 14 days, until day 28. If no fertilised egg has landed on the uterus wall by day 28, the spongy lining starts to break down again and the whole cycle starts again.
What are the 3 main hormones involved?
FSH, Oestrogen, LH
Explain what FSH is?
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, produced by the pituitary gland. Causes an egg to mature in one of the ovaries. Stimulates the ovaries to produce oestrogen.
Explain what Oestrogen is?
Produced in the ovaries, causes pituitary to produce LH, inhibits the further release of FSH.
Explain what LH is?
Luteinising Hormone - produced by the pituitary gland, stimulates the release of an egg at around the middle of the menstrual cycle.
What is Progesterone?
Progesterone is another hormone involved in the menstrual cycle - it’s produced by the ovaries.
What is the definition of the menstrual cycle?
The monthly release of an egg from a woman’s ovaries, and the build-up and breakdown of the protective lining in the uterus (womb), is called the menstrual cycle.
