Flashcards · Biology · Hormones and Reproduction
The Menstrual Cycle
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How long is a typical menstrual cycle?
About 28 days.
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What happens on days 1 to 5?
Menstruation, when the lining of the uterus breaks down.
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What happens on day 14?
Ovulation, the release of an egg.
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What is ovulation?
The release of a mature egg from an ovary.
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What does oestrogen do?
Repairs and thickens the lining of the uterus.
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What does progesterone do?
Maintains the lining of the uterus.
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Where are oestrogen and progesterone made?
In the ovaries.
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What happens to progesterone if there is no pregnancy?
It falls.
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What happens when progesterone falls?
The lining breaks down, and a period begins.
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Where does the egg go after ovulation?
Into the oviduct.
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What is a period?
The loss of the lining of the uterus, through the vagina.
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Where does a fertilised egg implant?
In the lining of the uterus.
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What happens to the lining if an embryo implants?
It is kept thick, because progesterone stays high.
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What is the follicle?
The structure in the ovary in which an egg matures.
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At what age does the cycle start?
At puberty, around 10 to 14.
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Common mistake about the cycle?
Counting day 1 from ovulation. It is the first day of the period.