ASSET GRADE 12

LIFE SCIENCES
REVISION
2020
HUMAN REPRODUCTION 2 Menstrual Cycle
For each section please read the exam
guidelines first before going on to the
content.
Learn all the content in this presentation
Menstrual cycle – exam guidelines
Terminology you need to know, often as
definitions of processes and understand
their function/role
 Menstrual cycle including ovarian cycle and uterine cycle
 Menstruation: The endometrium is shed in the first few days of the menstrual cycle
because fertilisation has not taken place.
 What is the difference between menstruation and the menstrual cycle?
 Hormones including increasing and decreasing levels of FSH, Oestrogen, LH,
progesterone AND relevant to hormones use the words stimulate and inhibit
 Uterus, endometrium, Fallopian tubes, ovaries
 Follicle, Graafian follicle, oogenesis, ovum, ovulation, corpus luteum
 Zygote, morula, blastocyst, implantation AND mitosis & development
 Gestation, embryo, foetus, placenta, amnion, chorion
 Superb glossary list to be found at:
https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/reproductive/glossary
Organs and hormones directly involved
in the menstrual cycle
 Pituitary gland and the
hormones FSH, LH
 Ovaries = ovarian cycle and
the hormones Oestrogen and
Progesterone
 Uterus especially the
endometrium = uterine cycle
 The Menstrual Cycle

After puberty human females may reproduce at any

time until menopause. The length of the reproductive
cycle is on average 28 days.
 Days 1 – 6 menstruation occurs Days 26-28
Full degradation
 Days 8 – 11 The endometrium is repaired and of uterine lining
leading to Days 1-7
thickens in preparation for pregnancy. menstruation Menstruation
 The ovum is released from the ovary into the
Fallopian tube around day 14 but can happen Days 18 - 25
Corpus luteum
between days 12 – 15. Fertile time includes sperm regresses and
being in the female’s body before ovulation. uterin lining Days 8 - 11
begins to break Thickening
 If fertilization of an ovum does not take place, the down of the
uterine
ovum dies. lining
 Days 12-15
Days 18 – 25 The corpus luteum produces more Ovulation
hormones to thicken the endometrium even further This is a form of a pie graph
in preparation for implantation.
which you need to be able to
 If fertilization and implantation don’t take place interpret using information from
the endometrium begins to breaks down around day the LHS of the page
27/28
Ovary - In a section
through the ovary,
identify and state the
functions of:
follicles at various stages
of development; the
Graafian follicle and the
corpus luteum - learn
The Ovarian Cycle – be able to interpret graphs
 The primary and then the Graafian follicle continues to grow, meiosis takes place to form a haploid
ovum and then (around day 14) ruptures to release the ovum (ovulation) under the influence of FSH
 LH causes the ruptured follicle to develop into the corpus luteum (yellow body).
 The corpus luteum secretes progesterone which:
 promotes full development of the uterine lining
 maintains the embryo in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy
 inhibits the development of more follicles.

Ovulation; the follicle Corpus luteum degenerates,

Follicle surrounding the egg ruptures to release the egg. progesterone secretion stops, and
grows in response to FSH The egg may be fertilized. the uterine lining breaks down

Day of
cycle

Menstruation, follicle development Ovulation Formation of corpus luteum

Ovarian
cycle - learn
 The Uterine Cycle
Describe changes that take place in the thickness of the Endometrium and describe Menstruation
 Describes what happens in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle from day 1 to day 28
assuming the women has a 28-day cycle.
Must describe the role of the 2 hormones Oestrogen and Progesterone as well
 If fertilization does not occur, the corpus luteum breaks down.
 As a consequence of this, progesterone secretion declines, causing the uterine lining to be
shed, (menstruation).
 If the egg is fertilized, high progesterone levels maintain the thickened uterine lining.
 The placenta takes over from the corpus luteum completely by twelve weeks, nourishing the
foetus for the remainder of the gestation.

The uterine lining breaks

down because fertilization
did not occur

Lining vascular
Menstruation Growth of uterine lining
and glandular

Day of cycle

Menstruation, follicle development Ovulation Formation of corpus luteum

Menstrual cycle to think about and be
able to do
 Always refer to the hormones involved
 If relevant refer to the day(s) of the menstrual cycle
 Always state if levels of the hormones are increasing or decreasing and
 If the changing levels of the hormones stimulate or inhibit the process or another
hormone.
 Be able to put the ovarian and uterine cycles together

REVISE:
 Graph analysis
 Graphs with more than one dependent variable
 Negative feedback
Putting it all together
 Menstrual cycle – graph 1
must be able to interpret
and describe relationships

Ovarian cycle only on this

graph:
 Development of the
Graafian follicle
 Ovulation
 Formation of the corpus
luteum

Describe the hormonal control of

the menstrual cycle (ovarian
cycles) with reference to the
action of FSH and LH
 Menstrual cycle – graph 2
must be able to interpret
and describe relationships

Uterine cycle:
 Changes that take place
in the thickness of the
endometrium
 Menstruation

Describe the hormonal control of the

menstrual cycle (uterine cycles) with
reference to the action of oestrogen
and progesterone
Menstrual cycle – graph 3
both cycles together and
must be able to interpret
and describe relationships
NB look at body temperature
as well

Ovarian cycle:
Development of the Graafian follicle
Ovulation
Formation of the corpus luteum
Uterine cycle:
Changes that take place in the thickness
of the endometrium
Menstruation

Describe the hormonal control of the menstrual

cycle (ovarian and uterine cycles) with reference
to the action of FSH, oestrogen, LH and
progesterone
Negative feedback in the menstrual cycle
Negative feedback in
the menstrual cycle
Look at the:

Solids arrows = secrete and

stimulate
Dotted arrows = inhibit
Reminder:

Always refer to increasing or

decreasing levels of hormones
Explanation of the negative feedback
mechanism - from the previous slide
 The first negative feedback loop is the blue one.
 1. FSH was secreted to start the development of the follicle.
 2. This hormone also starts oestrogen secretion.
 3. The high levels of oestrogen have a negative feedback effect on levels of FSH,
which causes it to stop being secreted. Why is this?
 Now look at the purple feedback loop
 4. After ovulation, the Graafian follicle is transformed into the corpus luteum.
 5. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone and some oestrogen which means that
levels of both of these hormones are increasing.
 6. High levels of progesterone and oestrogen work together and send a second
negative feedback mechanism to inhibit the release of FSH (and LH)
 7. Thereby lowering the levels of FSH and of LH.
Apply
negative
feedback
to a
graph
Go to Human Reproduction 3