menstrual cycle & fertility/treatments

Question 1

what hormone do the testes produce?
and function

Answer 1

testosterone
it stimulates the testes to produce sperm

Question 2

what hormone do the ovaries produce
and process through puberty

Answer 2

oestrogen
once puberty begins, eggs in ovaries start to mature and every 28 days an egg is released - (ovulation)

Question 3

what is ovulation

Answer 3

when the ovary releases an egg

this occurs every 28 days

Question 4

how does the uterus prepare before ovulation and what is the process

Answer 4

the uterus lining becomes thick and spongey

the egg now makes it’s way down to the uterus (if sperm is present egg cell is fertilised) - if egg is not fertilised egg and uterus lining is released

Question 5

function of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)

Answer 5

causes an egg to mature in the ovary

Question 6

function of luteninising hormone (LH)

Answer 6

causes ovulation ( egg to be released)

Question 7

function of oestrogen and progesterone hormone

Answer 7

involved in maintaining the uterus lining - in case the egg is fertilised and implants

Question 8

stage 1 of menstrual cycle

Answer 8

FSH Is released by the pituitary gland
FSH travels in the blood to the ovaries where it causes an egg to mature - the FSH also triggers the ovaries to produce oestrogen - causing lining of uterus to become thick - also stops pituitary gland from releasing more FSH

Question 9

stage 2 of the menstrual cycle

Answer 9

the pituitary gland now releases LH, LH triggers ovulation (mature egg is released)

once the ovary releases egg, it produces progesterone

Question 10

what are 2 main effects of progesterone

Answer 10

1. stops pituitary gland from releasing LH and FSH - ( to prevent eggs being released / maturing )
2. keeps lining of uterus thick incase a fertilised egg implants

if fertilisation does not take place, levels of progesterone fall

Question 11

stage 3 of the menstrual cycle

Answer 11

the uterus lining and the egg are now released and woman has a period

Question 12

what is a very common form of contraception

how does it work

Answer 12

oral contraceptives such as the pill -

prevents the body from producing the hormone FSH - which prevents any eggs from maturing in woman if she takes it

Question 13

advantage of contraceptive pill
and disadvantage

Answer 13

it Is highly effective if taken correctly

must be taken every day - if a woman forgets to take it their is a risk of pregnancy

some have a risk of side effects - an increased risk of breast cancer or blood clots > small risks

Question 14

how do injection, implant or skin patch work

Answer 14

they contain progesterone which stops eggs from maturing or being released

Question 15

advantage and disadvantage of:
injection, implant or skin patch

Answer 15

adv more convenient then taking a daily pill
implant lasts - 3 years
injection - 13 weeks
patch - one week

dis - these hormonal forms of contraception can have side effects

Question 16

one disadvantage of contraceptive pill and hormonal forms of contraception

Answer 16

none of these protect against STI’s

Question 17

how do barrier methods ( condom or diaphragm) work

Answer 17

they prevent the sperm from reaching the egg

Question 18

advantages of barrier methods ( condom or diaphragm)

disadvantages

Answer 18

they do not use hormones so they do not have side effects - also reduce risk of STI’s

can break or slip off

can be more effective if used with a spermicide ( skills sperm)

Question 19

what is an IUD ( intrauterine device) - or called - the coil - and how does It work

Answer 19

prevents an embryo from implanting - some release hormones to reduce chances of fertilisation

Question 20

advantage and disadvantage of an IUD

Answer 20

highly effective as it can prevent pregnancy for up to 10 years - and have very few side effects

does not protect against STI’s

Question 21

how can sterilisation work

disadvantages

Answer 21

male - prevents sperm from leaving penis
female - prevents egg from reaching uterus

very difficult to reverse so a person must be certain they will never want children
do not prevent STI’s

Question 22

what is the natural form of contraception

disadvantage

Answer 22

abstaining from sexual intercourse during the time after ovulation

dis - very difficult to tell when a woman has ovulated - does not protect against STI’s

Question 23

how are woman effected and unable to conceive naturally due to lack of ovulation

Answer 23

they do not produce enough FSH to stimulate the maturation of the eggs in their ovaries

Question 24

how can artificial forms of LH or FSH be used as a fertility drug

Answer 24

FSH drug stimulates eggs in the ovary to mature and triggers oestrogen production

can be used as an atrifiical LH to trigger ovulation - bit if incorrect dosage is used can lead to multiple births

Question 25

how does IVF ( in vitro fertilisation) work

Answer 25

- They give the mother synthetic FSH to stimulate the maturation of a number of eggs at the same time, followed by LH to bring the eggs to the point of ovulation. * They collect eggs from the ovary of mother and fertilise them with sperm from the father outside the body in the laboratory. * The fertilised eggs are kept in special solutions in a Petri dish in a warm environment to develop into tiny embryos. * At the stage when they are minute balls of cells, one or two of the embryos are inserted back into the uterus of the mother. In this way they bypass the faulty tubes.

Question 26

disadvantages of IVF

Answer 26

- expensive for NHS and individuals - Many end up paying thousands for repeated cycles of treatment - not always successful, the older the parents the less likely they will have a baby - the use of fertility drugs can have health risks on the mother - the process is very emotionally and physically stressful - 1 in 5 ivf pregnancies is a multiple pregnancy can lead to still births and very premature births risk of multiple pregnancy , can be expensive for hospitals to keep many premature babies alive they may survive but with permanent and often severe disabilities Some consider the destruction of human embryos to be morally objectionable as multiple embryos are created in Petri dish in laboratory

Question 27

advantages of IVF

Answer 27

- can significantly increase the chances of conception - can help with a range of health conditions including endomitriosis - IVF allows for the screening of embryos for genetic disorders before implantation - IVF allows for the preservation of fertility by freezing embryos or eggs for future use - IVF allows couples to use donor eggs or sperm if needed. - younger donor's have higher fertility rate so increased success rate or if male cannot produce sperm high success rate of pregnancy - less chance of miscarriage