the womb, or uterus , is an astonishing organ which is capable of expanding to many times its Normal size to accommodate a growing baby. its muscular wall has a special lining the endometrium, and each month this develops to provide the blood and nutrients needed to support a pregnancy. at the neck of the womb is the cervix, the channel between the womb and the vagina the latter is the passageway between the womb and the outside of the woman’s body. the cervix produces a variety of different fluids during the course of the woman’s monthly cycle, both to protect her reproductive system from infection and also to help the man’s sperm travel to the egg.
the reproductive process is governed by a number of different hormones produces in particular by the hypothalamus, part of the brain, and the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. hormones act as message bearers, stimulating different parts of the body into action . the hypothalamus responds to chemical and electrical impulses to produce simple hormone. this is produced in pulses, every 90 minutes of the woman’s life from puberty to menopause. these hormones travel along tiny blood vessels to the pituitary gland and trigger it to produce follicle-stimulating hormone. the FSH travels to the ovaries, where it triggers the development of the follicles which contain the eggs. a dominant follicle is selected by processes that are still unknown. the pituitary gland also produces luteinising hormone, which stimulates the development of the eggs within the follicles. on a about the twelfth day of the cycle, a surge of luteinising hormone triggers the follicle to release its egg. the ptocess call ovulation.
