Hormonal activity cycles occur in females of reproductive age, and they recur roughly every month. Whether or not a woman intends to become pregnant, her body gets ready for a possible pregnancy with each cycle. The uterine lining’s periodic loss is referred to as menstruation. Menstru is short for “monthly.”
The follicular phase, the ovulatory phase (ovulation), and the luteal phase are the three phases of the menstrual cycle, which lasts an average of 28 days.
Follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, oestrogen, and progesterone are the four main hormones (chemicals that stimulate or regulate the activity of cells or organs) involved in the menstrual cycle.
Follicular Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
On the first day of your period, this phase begins. The following things happen during the menstrual cycle’s follicular phase:
a. The brain releases two hormones that travel to the ovaries through the blood: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
b. The hormones cause the ovaries to produce 15 to 20 eggs, each in a separate "shell" known as a follicle.
c. The female hormone oestrogen is also produced at a higher rate in response to these hormones (FSH and LH).
d. Follicle-stimulating hormone synthesis is turned off as oestrogen levels rise, much like a switch. The body is able to control the amount of follicles that mature because of this precise hormonal balance.
e. One follicle in each ovary becomes dominant and continues to mature as the follicular period goes on. Each and every other follicle in the group is suppressed by this dominant follicle. They thus cease to grow and eventually perish. The follicle in dominance keeps producing oestrogen.Ovulatory Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
After the follicular phase ends, around 14 days later, the ovulatory phase, or ovulation, begins. The menstrual cycle’s halfway, known as the ovulatory phase, occurs roughly two weeks after the previous menstrual period ends. In this stage, the following things happen:
a. The amount of luteinizing hormone that the brain produces surges in response to the spike in oestrogen from the dominant follicle.
b. As a result, the dominant follicle exits the ovary with its egg.
c. Fimbriae, finger-like projections on the end of the fallopian tubes, catch the released egg during ovulation. The egg is swept into the tube by the fimbriae.
d. Additionally, the cervix (lower region of the uterus) produces more mucus at this period, both in terms of quantity and thickness. In the event that a woman conceives during this period, the man's sperm is captured, fed, and assisted in moving towards the egg for fertilisation by the thick mucus.Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
Immediately following ovulation, the menstrual cycle’s luteal phase entails the following procedures:
a. The empty follicle grows into a new structure known as the corpus luteum after it discharges its egg.
b. Progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum. Progesterone gets the uterus ready for the implantation of a fertilised egg.
c. After sexual activity, a man's sperm fertilises an egg, a process known as conception. The fertilised egg, or embryo, then passes via the fallopian tube and implants itself in the uterus. It is now thought that the woman is pregnant.
d. The egg goes through the uterus if it is not fertilised. The uterine lining degrades and sheds, no longer being required to support a pregnancy, and the subsequent menstrual cycle starts. What Is the Average Woman’s Egg Count?
Up until menopause, the great majority of the eggs in the ovaries gradually expire. There are between a million and two million eggs in a baby at birth; only about 300,000 are left when the child reaches puberty. Only roughly 500 of them will undergo ovulation in a woman’s lifetime. During menopause, any leftover eggs progressively disappear.