The Female Reproductive Cycle

Ovarian and Uterine Cycles

Objective
Inform the audience about the female
reproductive cycle
Overview
Occurs in the menarche stage of puberty
Average age 12 years old
Cessation of menstrual cycle occurs during menopause
(average age 52)
4 stages of menstruation
Hormones
Major player in the menstrual cycle
Estrogen
Promotes the development and maintenance of female
reproductive structures (especially the endometrial lining
of the uterus)
Assists in the control of fluid and electrolyte balance
within the body.
Prepares the follicle for the release of an egg.

Estrogen also has many other functions.

Progesterone:
Secreted at ovulation
Helps to prepare the endometrium (womb lining) for
the implantation of an egg
Prepares mammary galnds for milk production
Primarily concerned with the procreation and survival
of the fetus.
FSH Follicle Stimulating Hormone
 Stimulates the follicles
 a follicle is a balloon shaped structure which is filled
with fluid and contains an egg, follicles are found in the
ovaries)
 Ripens several eggs
At the same time the ovaries release oestrogen. 
LH Lutenising hormone:
Further develops the follicles
Triggers ovualtion and stimulates production of other
hormones necessary for the post ovulatory stage of the
menstrual cycle. 
The secretion of hormones is a complex affair.Various
parts of the body become involved in a myriad of
chemical transactions.
 6 phases of menstruation
Average start day
Name of phase Average end day
assuming a 28-day cycle
menstrual phase
1 4
(menstruation)

Preovulatory phase 5 13

ovulatory phase (ovulation) 13 16

Postovulatory phase 16 28

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cycle
Menstrual phase
Day 1 to 4
Events in the ovaries:
FSH causes several primordial follicles to develop into
primary and secondary follicles
Follicles can take months to develop
Events in the uterus
Menstrual flow – 50-150mL of blood, tissue fluid, mucus,
and epithelial cells
Occurs due to declining levels of progesterone and estrogens
stimulate release of prostaglandins that cause uterine spiral
arterioles to constrict
Flow passes from the uterine cavity though cervix and vagina
into external environment
Preovulatory phase
Day 5 to 13
Variable in length – accounts for most differences in cycle
length http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_rfZ_qj1z4
&feature=related
Events in the ovaries:
Some secondary follicles in ovaries begin to secrete estrogens
and inhibins
Estrogens and inhibins secreted by the dominant follicle
decrease secretion of FSH.
 Causes other less developed follicles to stop growing
Fun fact – non-identical twins or triplets result when two or
three secondary follicles become co dominant and are
ovulated and fertilised at same time
Preovulatory phase cont.
Normally, the one dominant secondary follicle becomes the mature
follicle
 Continues to enlarge until it is more than 20mm in diameter and ready for
ovulation
 Forms blisterlike bulge due to the swelling antrum on surface of ovary
 During final maturation follicle continues to increase production of estrogens

Events in the uterus

Estrogens in blood stimulate repair of the endometrium
Cells of the stratum basalis undergo mitosis and produce a new
stratum functionalis
As endometrium thickens, the short, straight endometrial glands
develop, and the arterioles coil and lengthen as they penetrate the
stratum functionalis
Thickness of the endometrium approximately doubles to about 4-
10mm
Ovulation
Day 13-16
Postovulatory phase
Day 16-28
Most constant part of reproductive cycle
Mature follicle collapses
Basement membrane between granulosa cells and theca
interna breaks down
Blood clot forms from mminor bleeding of ruptured follicle
Follicle becomes corpus hemorrhagicum
Hemo = blood
Rrhagic = bursting forth
LH influences theca interna cells to mix with granulosa cells
Transforms into corpus luteum cells
Postovulatory phase cont.
Futher events depend on fertilization or non fertilization:
Non fertilisation
corpus luteum has a life span of only 14 days
Then its secretory activity declines, degenerates to corpus albicans
As this occurs rise of GnRH, LH and FSH occurs due to the loss
of negative feedback suppression by ovarian hormones. Follicular
growth resumes and a new cycle begins
Fertilisation
corpus luteum lives beyond two weeks
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) – prevents its degeneration
hCG is produced by the chorion of the embryo about 8 days after
fertilization
hCG is the indicator in pregnancy tests
Postovulatory phase cont.
 Events in the Uterus
 progesterone and estrogens produced by the corpus luteum promote
growth and coiling of the endometrial glands
 Vascularisation of the superficial endometrium and thickening of the
endometrum