Hormones in diagram: follicle stimulating hormone, leutenizing hormone, estrogen, progesterone
A B C D E ?
A. Beginning of menstrual bleeding (sloughing uterine lining)
FSH level increases
FSH stimulate follicle development
B. Follicle begins secreting estrogen
Estrogen causes growth of uterine lining (more cells)
Estrogen increasing causes negative feedback to FSH (FSH level decreases)
C. Estrogen level peaks
Estrogen causes positive feedback to LH & FSH
D. FSH & LH spike
FSH spikes causing weakening of follicle wall
LH spikes causes rupture of follicle wall
LH causes follicle to change form into "corpus luteum"
Corpus luteum produces increasing progesterone
Progesterone stimulates vessel fomation & glycogen storage in uterine wall
[Corpus luteum also produces gradually increasing estrogen]
Rising estrogen depresses FSH (so new follicles do not develop)
E. Egg not fertilized; no embryo
Embryo does not send HCG signal
[If embryo implants, then corpus luteum continues producing progesterone and estrogen to maintain tissue and vascularization of uterus to support fetal growth]
Corpus luteum degenerates
Progesterone falls
Estrogen falls
Pituitary no longer inhibited (restrained)
Pituitary LH & FSH escape inhibition and begin increasing
E. if Egg IS fertilized
Embryo produces HCG
HCG signals corpus luteum to continue producing high levels of E & P
Corpus luteum does NOT degenerate
Progesterone level stay high
Estrogen level stays high
Pituitary remains inhibited and LH & FSH level stay very low
?. Beginning of menstrual bleeding...
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