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Page 12
| uterus is encouraged to slough off, and bleeding occurs. Changes also occur in the vagina and the cervix (the "neck" of the uterus) due to fluctuations in these hormones. This includes the change in texture of cervical mucus, allowing a greater movement of sperm during the ovulatory phase. |
| Other areas of the body, outside the reproductive mechanisms, also respond to the hormones of the reproductive cycle. Breast tissue may enlarge and become sensitive due to the influence of estrogen. Body temperature is affected: there may be a rise in temperature just as the luteal phase begins or just before ovulation. Various studies have also shown increases in appetite, salt and water retention and even increases in the sensitivity of the five senses, such as more acute hearing or smell. Estrogen has been studied a great deal since the increased use of hormone replacement therapy, and the effects of estrogen on many body functions has been demonstrated again and again. |
| Menstruation |
| Menstruation, or the period of time in which bleeding normally occurs, begins approximately 28 days after the end of the last period and lasts approximately four to seven days, occurring technically in the pro-ovulatory cycle. As with the length of time of the three distinct phases, the number of days of bleeding can vary. The very first time a young girl experiences menstruation (menarche) may occur anytime from age 10 to age 16. Some girls begin before age 10 and some begin after age 16, but this is unusual. Periods will stop generally anywhere from age |
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