The final product of the human reproductive system is a baby, and women bear the brunt of the physical workload in the process.

The process of conceiving a baby is a delicate one depending on various fluctuations of hormones, sex cells, and the response of organs. Unlike men, who generate sperm continuously, an egg only develops in a female about once a month.

During this cycle, women experience hormonal changes, including a fluctuation of the following hormones:

  • Estrogen: The hormone that gives a woman secondary sex characteristics also helps her reproductive cycle by aiding in certain functions of the reproductive system, especially thickening the inner membrane of the uterus to prepare for a fertilized egg and other functions during menstruation.
  • Progesterone: This steroid hormone aids in readying the uterus for a fertilized egg and prevents fetus rejection. Manufactured forms of progesterone are used in several birth control devices.
  • Estradiol: A type of estrogen, this is the predominant sex hormone in females. It also prepares the lining of the uterus for an embryo to attach to the uterine wall.

The ovaries contain about half a million cells capable of becoming eggs. These cells mature in stages. In the middle of each menstrual cycle, an ovarian follicle becomes stimulated by follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) produced by the pituitary gland and releases an egg.

The egg and its surrounding cells move down into the fallopian tube to await fertilization. The short period of time when an egg is available, and during which a woman may become pregnant, is called ovulation.

Once ovulation begins, estrogen levels decrease and progesterone levels rise during the next seven days. If the cycle concludes without fertilization, all hormone levels drop significantly as the woman begins menstruation, the regular shedding of the uterine lining and unused egg through the vagina.

Many women experience cramps during this period as a result of the uterine muscle contracting to expel the uterine lining.

其他常见的症状,通常被称为premenstrual syndrome, or PMS — include bloating, fatigue, headache, breast tenderness, aggression, depression, mood swings, and inability to concentrate. These typically occur between ovulation and the start of menstrual bleeding.

女性经验更改或投注到某个没头脑阔爷gular patterns in their menstrual cycle for several reasons including:

  • Using birth control
  • Pregnancy
  • Extreme weight loss
  • Stress
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome

If an egg is fertilized, it will bind itself to the wall of the uterus and the fetus will develop. The uterus nourishes and protects the fetus until birth. When a woman goes into labor, the baby is push out of the uterus through the cervix and vagina.