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Feedback Mechanisms in Female Reproductive System

Feedback mechanisms regulate female reproductive processes through hormone signaling loops. Positive feedback in the menstrual cycle causes estrogen and LH levels to rise, triggering ovulation. Negative feedback then causes hormone levels to stabilize. If fertilization does not occur, progesterone and estrogen levels fall, initiating menstruation. Positive feedback in labor involves oxytocin stimulating contractions to increase oxytocin release until birth. Negative feedback in menopause reduces FSH and LH stimulation of the ovaries, stopping ovulation and menstruation.

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Juan Jaylou Ante
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187 views4 pages

Feedback Mechanisms in Female Reproductive System

Feedback mechanisms regulate female reproductive processes through hormone signaling loops. Positive feedback in the menstrual cycle causes estrogen and LH levels to rise, triggering ovulation. Negative feedback then causes hormone levels to stabilize. If fertilization does not occur, progesterone and estrogen levels fall, initiating menstruation. Positive feedback in labor involves oxytocin stimulating contractions to increase oxytocin release until birth. Negative feedback in menopause reduces FSH and LH stimulation of the ovaries, stopping ovulation and menstruation.

Uploaded by

Juan Jaylou Ante
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Feedback Mechanisms in Female Reproductive System

Introduction

As what you have discussed in the previous lessons, hormones play important role in regulating
human processes. Female sex hormones, or sex steroids, play vital roles in sexual development,
reproduction, and general health. Sex hormone levels change over time, but some of the most significant
changes happen during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.
How do hormones regulate these processes in females? Feedback Mechanism
is the answer! A feedback mechanism is a loop system wherein the system responds to an uneasiness.
Feedback loops are therefore the process whereby a change to the system results in an alarm which will
trigger a certain result. This result will either increase the change to the system or reduce it to bring the
system back to normal keeping its internal environment stable responsible for maintaining homeostasis.

Feedback, in general, is a regulatory mechanism present in many biological reactions. By allowing certain
pathways to be turned off and on, the body can control various aspects of its internal environment. This is
similar to flipping a switch. Feedback allows the product of a pathway to control the switch.

Feedback Mechanism in Menstrual Cycle and Pregnancy


Before a woman ovulates, the hormone estrogen is released by the ovary. The
estrogen travels to the brain, which causes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
to be released from the hypothalamus and luteinizing hormone (LH) to be released
from the pituitary gland. LH causes more estrogen to be released from the ovary,
which in turn causes an increase in GnRH and LH in the bloodstream through positive feedback. The rise
in these hormones, along with follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH), causes ovulation to occur.
In negative feedback, rising levels of
hormones feedback to the hypothalamus
and pituitary gland to decrease the
production of the hormones. During most
of the menstrual cycle, estrogen and
progesterone provide negative feedback to
the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. This
keeps their levels more or less constant.
If no fertilized egg is implanted into
the uterus, the corpus luteum, a mass of
cells that forms in an ovary and is
responsible for the production of the
hormone progesterone during early
pregnancy degenerates and the levels of
estrogen and progesterone decrease. The
endometrium begins to degenerate as the
progesterone levels drop, initiating the next
menstrual cycle. The decrease in
progesterone also allows the hypothalamus
to send GnRH to the anterior pituitary,
releasing FSH and LH and starting the
cycles again.

Feedback Mechanism in Labor and Childbirth

Positive Feedback
When labor begins, the baby’s head is pushed downwards and results in increased pressure on
the cervix. This stimulates receptor cells to send a chemical signal to the brain, allowing the release of
oxytocin by the posterior pituitary gland. This oxytocin diffuses to the cervix via the blood, where it
stimulated further contractions. These contractions stimulate further oxytocin release until the baby is
born. Breastfeeding is also a positive feedback loop; as the baby
suckles, the mother’s pituitary gland produces more of the
hormone prolactin, which causes more milk to be produced.

Feedback Mechanism in Menopause


Negative Feedback
As women approach their mid-40s to mid-50s,
their ovaries begin to lose their sensitivity to FSH and LH. Menstrual periods become less frequent and
finally cease; this is menopause. There are still eggs and potential follicles on the ovaries, but without the
stimulation of FSH and LH, they will not produce a viable egg to be released. There is also marked
reduction in estrogen level due to loss of follicular development, loss of ovulation and menstruation. The
outcome of this is the inability to have children. During this time, she may experience hot flashes, mood
swings, and other symptoms.

Activity No. 1
Dot to Dot

Direction: Draw line from the endocrine gland to the hormone it produces and identify
the function/s of each hormone in regulating female reproductive processes. Select
your answer from the given choices below.

Activity No. 2
Oh My Baby!

Direction: Study the diagram of feedback mechanism in giving birth. Complete the
process by filling up the missing concept, choose from the pool of words below.
ACTIVITY # 3
WRONG FEEDBACK!

Direction: The diagram shows the physical and emotional changes in a woman in
each phase of menstrual cycle. Write the correct scientific explanation for each.
Choose you answer from the “pool of statements” below.

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