body in preparation for the possibility of pregnancy. Each month, an egg is released

from an ovary in a process called ovulation. At the same time, the lining of the uterus

thickens, ready for pregnancy. If fertilization does not take place, the lining of the uterus

is shed in menstrual bleeding and the cycle starts over.

An ovary contains hundreds of thousands of primary oocytes - immature eggs, or ova. Each

of these is enclosed in a structure called a follicle, and at this stage -- a primordial

follicle. The menstrual cycle is under control of hormones

secreted by the pituitary gland and the ovaries. The pituitary itself is under control of the

hypothalamus. The hypothalamus produces a hormone called

the gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH. GnRH stimulates the anterior lobe of the pituitary

to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH travels in the bloodstream to the ovaries

and stimulates a group of follicles to grow. These primordial follicles develop into primary

follicles and then secondary follicles. These produce a hormone named estrogen which acts

to stimulate the growth of the endometrium -- the inner lining of the uterus. The secondary

follicles compete with each other and only one of them will survive and become a mature

follicle, the rest atrophy and die. The increasing level of estrogen also acts

on the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary to increase the level of GnRH and induce the

production of another hormone -- luteinizing hormone (LH). A surge in LH secretion triggers

ovulation - the release of the egg from the follicle and the ovary. The egg is then swept

up by the fimbriae and taken into the uterine tube.

Fertilization by a spermatozoon, when it occurs, usually takes place in the ampulla, the widest

section of the fallopian tube. The fertilized egg immediately begins the process of development

while travelling toward the uterus. After 6 days it becomes a blastocyst and is implanted

into the endometrium of the uterus. Meanwhile, the left-over of the ruptured follicle

has become a corpus luteum which secretes progesterone. Progesterone further stimulates

uterine development making it a nutritious bed for the embryo in the event of pregnancy.

In the absence of pregnancy, the corpus luteum atrophies and progesterone level falls. This

leads to the breakdown of the endometrium, menstruation begins and the cycle starts over.