Reproductive health/ puberty Flashcards
What is the role of the hormone FSH?
-stimulates development of follicles and initiates secretion of oestrogen by the folly les
What is the role of the hormone LH?
-to stimulate further the development of the follicles and secretion of oestrogen by follicular cells
-ovulation
-formation of the corpus luteum
-secretion of progestrone and oestrogen
What is the role of the hormone oestrogen?
-stimulate growth, development and maintenance of female reproductive structures, development of secondary sex characteristics and protein synthesis
What is the role of the hormone progesterone?
-works along side oestrogen to prepare the endometrium for implantation and the mammary glands for milk synthesis
What is the role of the hormone relaxin?
increase the flexibility of the pubic symphysis and helps dilate the uterine cervix to ease delivery of a baby
What is primary dysmenorrhoea?
-painful menstruation which occurs with the release of a substance called prostaglandin, which constricts blood vessels and stimulates the uterine muscle to contract, increasing the sensitivity of the nerves to pain
-non-steriodal anti-inflammatory medicine e.g ibuprofen will help to reduce the COX enzyme activity which produced prostaglandin
What is amenorrhoea?
-a lack of menstruation occurring
-primary= when menstruation doesn’t occur, likely to be hormone related
-secondary= absence of menstruation equivalent to potentially 3 cycles in women who have previously menstruated
What are polycystic ovaries?
-a disease where instead follicles developing and releasing each month, cysts develop within the ovary
What is pre-menstrual tension?
-linked to rapidly changing hormone levels
-symtoms include changing moods and behaviours to negative mood, depression, irritability and aggression
What 4 inflammation conditions can be seen in women?
- vaginitis- inflammation of the vagina
- cervicitis- inflammation of the cervix
- oophoritis- inflammation of the ovaries
- salpingitis- inflammation of the uterine tubes
What 2 infections can be seen in women?
- vaginosis- bacterial causing inflammation of the vagina
- salpingitis- inflammation of the uterine tubes, commonly caused by micro-organisms which migrate upwards from vagina to uterus and into the tubes, e.g chlamydia and gonorrhoea. infection only develops when the defence mechanism fails
What is prolapse?
-the pushing of one organ into another
-this can occur in any of the pelvic organs, bladder bowel and uterus as they are all held in place by the structures and muscles in the pelvis
-as a person ages the tone and strength of muscles/ ligaments falls, resulting in failure to keep organs in place
What 4 examples are there of benign growths in women?
- ovarian cysts- develop in response to corpus letup but are generally re-absorbed
- endometrial polyps- mass of endometrial tissue, but they can cause bleeding unrelated to periods
- endometriosis- uterine tissue that is out of place
- leiomyomas- known as uterine fibroids and are smooth muscle benign tumours
What are 5 examples of malignant growths in women?
- cervical cancer- caused by HPV
- vaginal cancer- similar to cervical cancer
- vulvar cancer- seen more in post-menopausal women
- endometrial cancer- related to the production of oestrogen and lack of progesterone
- uterine sarcoma- rare and develops in a specific tissue in the uterus
For women, what are the 4 ways sexual dysfunction can be categorised?
- desire
- arousal
- orgasm
- pain
Explain how disorders of desire can cause sexual dysfunction in women
can be affected by depression, alcohol, or prolactin-secreting tumours
Explain how chronic illness can cause sexual dysfunction in women
can produce anorgasmia while painful intercourse (dyspareunia) may be a result of either psychosocial or physical factors
Explain how vaginismus can cause sexual dysfunction in women
involuntary muscle spasm in response to attempted penetration and typically relates to a fear/ history of sexual trauma
Explain how blood vessel issues can cause sexual dysfunction in men
-conditions where the blood supply is lower than expected or obstructed in some way, will mean the penis is unable to fill the erectile tissues in the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum.
Explain how hormonal disorders can cause sexual dysfunction in men
can include a reduced testosterone level or increased levels of oestrogen.
Explain how neurological trauma can cause sexual dysfunction in men
eg spinal cord injury, tumours, multiple sclerosis can affect the sexual response of the body.
Explain how sperm production can cause sexual dysfunction in men
the pituitary gland produces Follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone, yet if this is not sufficient or if testosterone levels are low, then sperm will not be produced in large quantities from the Leydig cells.
Explain how motility of the sperm can cause sexual dysfunction in men
can also be a problem and relies on the chemical composition of the semen. Any change in pH, viscosity, presence of drugs will affect motility.
Explain how bacteria can cause sexually transmitted diseases
-unprotected intercourse with multiple partners along with poor hygiene habits can increase risk of infection
-e.g gonorrhoea and chlamydia
Explain how viruses can cause sexually transmitted diseases
-genital herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus, producing blisters
-human papilloma virus is a common infection that cause cervical or anal cancer
-hepatitis B (effects liver) and HIV (affects immune system) can be transmitted through sexual contact but affect other areas of the body
Explain how parasites can cause sexually transmitted diseases
-trichomoniasis is a protozoa that sticks to epithelial cells infecting the vagina/ uterus
-scabies is spread by skin to skin and sexual contact
-crab lice is transmitted sexually or through infected bedding/ clothes
