Menstruation Flashcards
What are the 2 monthly reproductive cycles in females?
Ovulation and Menstruation
What is menstruation?
The monthly discharge of the lining of the womb
What is ovulation?
The monthly release of a mature egg by the ovaries
What is the average of a menstruation cycle?
28 days
How does menstraution take place?
Before ovulation the wall of the uterus thickens in readiness to receive an egg from the ovaries. After ovulation, if fertilization doesnt take place the wall of the uterus breaks down and blood flows out through the vagina.
What is menopause?
Whenthe ovaries stop producing eggs every month and menstruation stops and never returns. This is usually between the ages of 45-55
What are the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle?
Menstrual phase
Follicular phase
Ovulation phase
Luteal phase
What happens during the menstrual phase?
The uterus sheds its inner lining of blood vessels and tissues and it exits the body on the form on menstrual fluid. During this time you may experience cramps. These are due to the contraction of the uterine and adnormal muscles to expel the menstrual fluid
What happens during the follicular phase?
This phase starts on the first day of the menstrual cycle and last until the 13th day. During this phase the pituitary gland secretes a hormone call FSH which stimulates the eggs in the ovaries to grow. One of these eggs start to develop in a sac like structure called a follicle. The egg takes 13 days to reach maturity. While the egg matures the graafian folicle secretes a hormone calles estrogen which causes the unterus to develop a lining of soft tissues and blood vessels called endometrium.
What happens during the ovulation phase?
One the 14th day the pituiatry gland secretes a hormone called LH which causes the ovary to realease a mature egg which is swept into the fallopian tube by the cillia fimbrae. Fimbrae are finger like projections located at the end of the fallopian tube near the ovaries and cilla are slender hair like projections on each fimbrae. The graafian follicle becomes the corpos leutum.
What happens during the luteal phase?
This starts at the 5Th day of the cycle until the end.
The egg that was released during ovulation stays in the fallopian tube ofr 24 hours. The corpos leutum then secretes a hormone called progesterone which is use to thicken more and maintain the lining of the uterus. If a sperm does not fertillize an egg the cell disintegrates and flows out the vagine. The porgesterone that was used to maintain the unterus gets used up and reduces as the corpos leutem breaks down. This causes the next mentrual phase
