Understanding Female Cycles

Understanding
Female Cycles
Presented by Terra Rafael,
Midwife & Ayurvedic Practitioner for
WiseWomanhood LLC ©
The Basic Cycle
Normal Cycle Length Variations
Your Many Interacting Female Cycles
• Hormonal Cycle
• Endometrial Cycle
• Ovarian Cycle
• Cervical Cycle
• Uterine Position Movement
Cycle
Estrogen – Progesterone Cycle
Estrogen Functions
• Structural
– Female secondary sex

characteristics
– Accelerate metabolism
– Increase fat stores
– Maintenance of vessel
and skin
– Reduce bone resorption,
increase bone formation
More Estrogen Functions
• Protein synthesis
– Increase hepatic production of binding proteins
• Coagulation
– Increase circulating level of factors 2, 7, 9, 10, plasminogen
– Decrease antithrombin III
– Increase platelet adhesiveness
• Lipid
– Increase HDL, triglyceride
– Decrease LDL, fat deposition
• Fluid balance
– Salt (sodium) and water retention
– Increase cortisol, SHBG
• Gastrointestinal tract
– Reduce bowel motility
– Increase cholesterol in bile
• Melanin
– Increase pheomelanin, reduce eumelanin
• Cancer
– Support hormone-sensitive breast cancers
• Lung function
– Promotes lung function by supporting alveoli (in rodents but probably in humans).
More Estrogen Functions
• Increase uterine growth
• Increase vaginal lubrication
• Thicken the vaginal wall
• Uterine lining
– Stimulate endometrial growth
– (with progesterone) Promotes and maintains the
lining for implantation of fertilized egg, maintains it
during gestation period, and also up regulates
oxytocin receptor in uterine muscle
• Helps stimulate Ovulation
• Sexual desire is dependent on androgen levels in the
presence of estrogen
Progesterone Functions
• May help sperm swim better.
• May be a homing signal for
sperm to get to egg.
• Prepares endometrium for
implantation.
• Stops fertile mucus.
• Decreases maternal immune
response to allow for
acceptance of pregnancy.
• Decreases uterine
contractility- calming the
uterus.
More Progesterone Functions
• Inhibits lactation during pregnancy - and the fall
in progesterone postpartum helps trigger milk
production.
• Decreased progesterone may be part of starting
labor.
• The fetus uses progesterone to make its adrenal
hormones.
• It’s a neurosteroid that affects nerve functions,
are neuroprotective and affects the protective
myelin on the nerves.
Even More Progesterone Functions
• Regulates genes that cause abnormal cells to die off (apoptosis).
• Helps growth of stem cells.
• Increases core temperature
• Reduces spasm in the bronchi and regulates mucus - good for
asthma
• Anti-inflammatory
• Normalizes blood clotting
• Increases risk of gingivitis and tooth decay
• Seems to prevent endometrial cancer
• Related to signaling of insulin release & pancreatic function , so
may affect susceptibility to diabetes
• Reduces blood pressure by competing for receptors of cortisol
• Prevents sodium related swelling by aldosterone (when
progesterone drops then swelling can happen)
Complex Interplay of Hormones
Before Ovulation
1. Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) stimulates the pituitary
to produce Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH).During the early
pre-ovulatory phase, the pituitary secretes low levels of FSH.
2. FSH stimulates growth and maturation of follicles or Pre-eggs. As
the folliclse grow and mature, they secrete estrogen in increasing
amounts.
3. Rising levels of estrogen in the blood tell the pituitary to gradually
lower FSH levels.
4. Estrogen, at high enough levels stimulates the hypothalamus
which tells the pituitary to secrete a surge of Luteinizing Hormone
(LH).
5. The effect of the LH surge causes the
most mature follicle to rupture at
OVULATION, releasing the egg,
and the rest of the follicle forms a
corpus luteum (white body).
After Ovulation
6. After ovulation, LH stimulates the corpus luteum to secrete
progesterone and estrogen to prepare the uterus for implantation.
7. Rising levels of the estrogen-progesterone tell the hypothalamus
and pituitary to reduce levels of LH.
8. As LH decreases, the corpus luteum starts to degenerate.
9. Unless an embryo has implanted within about 10-12 days of
ovulation,, the corpus luteum stops producing estrogen and
progesterone , the endometrium is no longer maintained and
begins to deteriorate and shed with the help of prostaglandins
(MENSTRUATION).
10.During menses estrogen, progesterone,
LH, and FSH are at their lowest levels.
11. Low estrogen and progesterone levels
stimulate the hypothalamus to secrete
GnRH again and a new cycle begins.
Endometrial & Ovarian Cycles
Ovarian Cycle
Cervical
Mucus Cycle
-Estrogen or
Progesterone
Dominance
Uterine Cycle of
Movement
-Due to
Hormonal
Changes
How the
Cycles
Coordinate
Over Time
Credits
• Justisse Healthworks for Women study course More
info at www.Justisse.ca
– Slides: 2, 3, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22
• Jacques Donnez – photograph from

– http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7447942.stm
-Slide: 13 photo
• Hethir Rodriguez from www.natural-fertility-info.com
– Slide: 17
• A New View of a Woman’s Body by the Federation of

Feminist Women’s Health Centers (out of print)
– Slides: 18, 19, 20
Woman, Know
Yourself - Part 2
Female Cycles
www.WiseWomanhood.com
Female Cycles Video Link:

https://youtu.be/eZygpdbX08g
Terra Rafael
Midwife & Ayurveda
Practitioner

Understanding Female Cycles

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Understanding

– Female secondary sex

• Jacques Donnez – photograph from

• A New View of a Woman’s Body by the Federation of

Female Cycles Video Link:

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