ROLE OF HORMONES INVOLVED IN FEMALE AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE

SYSTEM

ENDOCRINE HORMONE TARGET TISSUE REACTION OF

GLAND SECRETED THE TARGET
TISSUE

MALE

Hypothalamus Gonadotropin-releasi Pituitary gland

ng hormone (GnRH)

Testes Testosterone Most tissues

Pituitary gland Luteinizing hormone Testes

(anterior) (LH)

Pituitary gland Follicle-stimulating Seminiferous tubules

(anterior) hormone (FSH) (testes)

FEMALE

Hypothalamus Gonadotropin-releasi Pituitary gland

ng hormone (GnRH)

Pituitary gland Oxytocin Uterus and

(posterior) mammary gland

Pituitary gland Luteinizing hormone Ovaries

(anterior) (LH)

Pituitary gland Follicle-stimulating Ovaries

(anterior) hormone (FSH)

Ovaries Progesterone and Most tissues

Estrogen
 FEMALE MALE BOTH

Gonadotropin-releasi ✓
ng hormone

Ovaries ✓
Luteinizing hormone ✓
Follicle-stimulating ✓
hormone

Testes ✓
Hypothalamus ✓
Pituitary gland ✓
Estrogen ✓
Progesterone ✓
Testosterone ✓

An ovary releases on egg cell every 28 days

Hormone (a chemical that is made by specialist cells, usually within an endocrine gland)
controls the monthly changes happening in the female reproductive system.

MENSTRUAL CYCLE

Each month during the years between puberty and menopause, a woman’s body goes through
several changes to get it ready for a possible pregnancy. This series of hormone-driven events is
called the menstrual cycle.
OVULATION
- Release of an egg from your ovary, into your fallopian tube.
- Ovulation is a part of the menstrual cycle which occurs each month in a sexually matured
female.

MENSTRUATION
- When blood and tissue from uterus comes out from vagina.
- Menstruation is another part of the menstrual cycle.

2 TYPES OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE

These two are closely related so they are referred to as the menstrual cycle.

OVARIAN CYCLE - Includes the events that occur in the ovary.

UTERINE CYCLE - Events that occur in the uterus.

PHASES OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE

MENSTRUAL PHASE: THE PERIODS

→ The menstrual phase is the first stage of the menstrual cycle. It’s also when you get
your period.
→ Typically lasts from 1 to 5 days
→ This phase starts when an egg from the previous cycle isn’t fertilized. Because pregnancy
hasn’t taken place, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone drop.
 → The thickened lining of your uterus, which would support a pregnancy, is no longer
needed, so it sheds through your vagina. During your period, you release a combination
of blood, mucus, and tissue from your uterus.

You may have period symptoms like these:

● cramps (happen because of contractions in the
● uterus or womb)
● tender breasts
● bloating
● mood swings
● irritability
● headaches
● tiredness
● low back pain

FOLLICULAR PHASE: BEFORE OVULATION PHASE

→ 6 – 13 days, the endometrium in the uterus begins to build up again
→ It starts when the hypothalamus sends a signal to your pituitary gland to release
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone stimulates your ovaries to produce
around 5 to 20 small sacs called follicles. Each follicle contains an immature egg.
→ Only the healthiest egg will eventually mature. (On rare occasions, a woman may have
two eggs mature.) The rest of the follicles will be reabsorbed into your body.
→ The maturing follicle sets off a surge in estrogen that thickens the lining of your uterus.
This creates a nutrient-rich environment for an embryo to grow.
→ The average follicular phase lasts for about 16 days. It can range from 11 to 27 days,
depending on your cycle.

OVULATION PHASE: THE TIME WOMAN IS MOST LIKELY TO CONCEIVE

→ Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary gland to release
luteinizing hormone (LH). This is what starts the process of ovulation.
→ Ovulation is when your ovary releases a mature oocyte or egg cell. The egg travels
down the fallopian tube toward the uterus to be fertilized by sperm.
→ The ovulation phase is the only time during your menstrual cycle when you can get
pregnant. You can tell that you’re ovulating by symptoms like these:
● a slight rise in basal body temperature
● thicker discharge that has the texture of egg whites
→ Ovulation happens at around day 14 if you have a 28-day cycle — right in the middle of
your menstrual cycle. It lasts about 24 hours. After a day, the egg will die or dissolve if
it isn’t fertilized.

LUTEAL PHASE: AFTER OVULATION PHASE

→ (15 – 28 days) endometrium of the uterus continues to prepare for fertilized egg
→ The uterine lining becomes thicker and develops more blood vessels
 → The mature follicle that just released its egg develops into a structure called corpus
luteum
→ The luteal phase lasts for 11 to 17 days. The average is 14 days.

IF THE EGG IS FERTILIZED BY A SPERM

- The fertilized egg will be implanted in the endometrium of the uterus

IF THE EGG IS NOT FERTILIZED

- The endometrium will break down, leading to menstruation

FEEDBACK MECHANISM
- is the process through which the level of one substance influence the level of another substance

↳ NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
- A negative feedback affects the production of hormones in the menstrual cycle. High
levels of one hormone may inhibit the production of another hormone.

Feedback mechanisms in menstrual cycle:

1. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates the ovaries to release estrogen. High
levels of estrogen then prevent the further production of FSH.

2. Estrogen also stimulates the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland,
which in turn controls the production of progesterone. High levels of progesterone then inhibit
the further release of LH.

The word “progesterone" literally means “progestational” hormone. PROGESTERONE

is a hormone that promotes gestation, or the carrying of a fetus.
The function of progesterone in the menstrual cycle is to maintain the endometrium of
the uterus.
MENOPAUSE
The side effects of menopause include:
↳ hot flashes, heavy sweating (especially at night), headaches, some hair loss, muscle pain,
vaginal dryness, insomnia, depression, weight gain, and mood swings.

SUMMARY

1. The pituitary gland controls and starts the cycle.

2. The pituitary gland releases hormones that cause the egg in the ovary to mature. The
luteinizing hormone (LH) initiates the maturation of the follicles, converts ruptured follicles into
corpus luteum
- The term "corpus luteum" is derived from the Latin meaning "yellow body" where "corpus"
means body and ”luteum” means yellow
- A corpus luteum is a mass of cells that forms in an ovary and is responsible for the production
of the hormone progesterone during early pregnancy)
- causes the secretion of progesterone.
The follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) assists in the maturation of the follicles and causes the
secretion of estrogen from the follicles.

3. Meanwhile, the ovary itself releases a hormone called estrogen, which causes the uterine
lining to increase in thickness. The uterine lining becomes thicker so that the fertilized egg can
attach to it.

4. The ovary releases an egg on day 14. Assume that no sperm is present.

5. The egg moves through the oviduct and enters the uterus.

6. Meanwhile the uterine lining continues to thicken.

7. The egg has not been fertilized; therefore, it will not attach to the uterus.

8. The thick uterine lining is no longer necessary, so the cells of the thickened uterine lining
break off and leave the vagina. The unfertilized egg is lost, and some blood is lost too. This loss
of cells from the uterine lining, blood, and egg is called menstruation.

9. After menstruation, the cycle starts again.