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This structure starts releasing progesterone, along with small amounts of oestrogen. For the next two weeks or so, the follicle transforms into a structure known as the corpus luteum. Luteal phaseĭuring ovulation, the egg bursts from its follicle, but the ruptured follicle stays on the surface of the ovary. Read more on ovulation and fertility window. When you want to have a baby you can improve your chance of getting pregnant if you know about ovulation and the ‘fertile window’ in the menstrual cycle. Unless it meets a sperm during this time, it will die. The life span of the typical egg is only around 24 hours. The egg is funnelled into the fallopian tube and toward the uterus by waves of small, hair-like projections. Within two days, ovulation is triggered by the high levels of LH. This hormone prompts the pituitary gland to produce raised levels of luteinising hormone (LH) and FSH. The hypothalamus in the brain recognises these rising levels and releases a chemical called gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This usually occurs mid-cycle, around two weeks or so before menstruation starts.ĭuring the follicular phase, the developing follicle causes a rise in the level of oestrogen.
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Ovulation is the release of a mature egg from the surface of the ovary. The growth of the follicles stimulates the lining of the uterus to thicken in preparation for possible pregnancy. This can occur around day 10 of a 28-day cycle. Usually, only one follicle will mature into an egg, while the others die. This hormone stimulates the ovary to produce around five to 20 follicles (tiny nodules or cysts), which bead on the surface.Įach follicle houses an immature egg. Prompted by the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland releases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). The follicular phase starts on the first day of menstruation and ends with ovulation. Using tampons has been associated with an increased risk of a rare illness called toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Both pads and tampons need to be changed regularly (at least every four hours). Sanitary pads or tampons are used to absorb the menstrual flow. The average length of a period is between three days and one week. Menstrual fluid contains blood, cells from the lining of the uterus (endometrial cells) and mucus. Menstruation is the elimination of the thickened lining of the uterus (endometrium) from the body through the vagina. The four main phases of the menstrual cycle are: The menstrual cycle is a biofeedback system, which means each structure and gland is affected by the activity of the others. A brain structure called the hypothalamus causes the nearby pituitary gland to produce certain chemicals, which prompt the ovaries to produce the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone. The menstrual cycle is complex and is controlled by many different glands and the hormones that these glands produce. By this stage, other sexual characteristics have developed, such as pubic hair and budding breasts. Girls get their first period (menarche), on average, between the ages of 11 and 14 years. The length of your menstrual cycle is calculated from the first day of your period to the day before your next period starts. The woman becomes pregnant, the lining of the uterus does not break down and menstruation does not happen.The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28–29 days, but this can vary between women and from one cycle to the next. The fertilised egg attaches to the lining of the uterus. An egg is released at about day 14įertilisation happens if the egg cell meets and joins with a sperm cell in the oviduct. The thickness of the uterus lining varies during the menstrual cycle. If the egg cell does not meet with a sperm cell in the oviduct, the lining of the uterus begins to break down and the cycle repeats.The egg cell travels through the oviduct towards the uterus. At about day 14, the mature egg cell is released from the ovary.The lining of the uterus begins to re-grow and an egg cell starts to mature in one of the ovaries. By the end of about day 5, the loss of blood stops.This is called menstruation or having a period. This is caused by the loss of the lining of the uterus, with a little blood. The start of the cycle, day 1, is when bleeding from the vagina begins.These are the main features of the menstrual cycle: The cycle stops while a woman is pregnant. It lasts about 28 days, but it can be slightly less or more than this. The female reproductive system includes a cycle of events called the menstrual cycle. The interaction of FSH, LS, oestrogen, and progesterone in the menstrual cycle