What happens when the Egg is not Fertilised?
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Understanding Ovulation
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Today, we are discussing what happens when the egg is not fertilised. Can anyone explain what ovulation is?
I think ovulation is when an egg is released from the ovary?
Exactly! During a woman’s menstrual cycle, typically once a month, an egg is released. This egg has a lifespan of about one day unless fertilised.
So, if it doesn’t get fertilised, what happens to it?
Good question! If the egg is not fertilised, it will not be able to implant in the uterus. Let’s delve into the next step.
Role of the Uterus
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
The uterus plays a crucial role in pregnancy. Can anyone describe how it prepares for an egg?
I believe it thickens its lining to get ready for a fertilised egg.
Correct! The uterus develops a thick, spongy lining to nourish an embryo if fertilisation occurs. But what happens if it doesn’t?
Doesn’t that lining break down?
Yes! This breakdown leads to menstruation, which is the shedding of this unnecessary lining through the vagina.
Menstruation Cycle
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now that we've established what happens post-ovulation, let’s talk about menstruation. Who can tell me what menstruation is?
It’s when the body gets rid of the unused lining from the uterus, right?
Exactly! Menstruation usually lasts for about two to eight days and occurs once a month. Why do you think this process is important?
I think it’s important for reproductive health.
Absolutely! Regular menstruation is a sign of good reproductive health and hormonal balance in females.
Cycle Overview and Impact
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
In summary, menstruation signifies the body’s preparation for potential pregnancy. Student_3, could you recap the key points?
Sure! If the egg isn’t fertilised, the uterus sheds its lining through menstruation, which happens every month.
Great! This cycle reflects hormonal changes and indicates female reproductive health.
So, understanding this cycle helps us appreciate bodily functions more!
Exactly! Remember, knowledge empowers informed health choices.
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
Standard
If an egg is not fertilised after ovulation, it survives for about one day. In this case, the uterus, which had prepared a thick lining to support a potential embryo, will no longer need that lining, resulting in menstruation. This monthly cycle signifies reproductive health in females and typically lasts between two to eight days.
Detailed
In the event that an egg is not fertilised, it has a viability of about a single day. The ovary's monthly release of an egg prompts the uterus to thicken its lining, ensuring it is suitable for nourishing a fertilised egg. However, in the absence of fertilisation, this thickened lining is rendered unnecessary and thus begins the process of menstruation. This menstrual cycle involves the slow breakdown and shedding of the uterine lining, which exits the body as blood and mucous through the vagina. Typically, menstruation occurs every month and lasts from two to eight days, serving as a critical indicator of female reproductive health. Understanding this cycle is important as it connects hormonal changes, reproductive capabilities, and overall health in females.
Youtube Videos
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Life Span of the Egg
Chapter 1 of 3
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
If the egg is not fertilised, it lives for about one day.
Detailed Explanation
An egg released from the ovary has a short lifespan of approximately 24 hours. If it is not fertilised by sperm during this time, it will not be able to develop into an embryo.
Examples & Analogies
Think of the egg like a fresh fruit. Once it's picked (released), it has a limited time before it spoils. Just like an apple that can only stay fresh for a few days without being eaten.
Uterine Preparation
Chapter 2 of 3
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Since the ovary releases one egg every month, the uterus also prepares itself every month to receive a fertilised egg. Thus its lining becomes thick and spongy. This would be required for nourishing the embryo if fertilisation had taken place.
Detailed Explanation
Every month, along with the release of an egg, the uterus's inner lining thickens in anticipation of a potential pregnancy. This thick, spongy lining is rich in blood and nutrients, making it a suitable environment for a fertilised egg to implant and grow.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine preparing a welcoming home for a guest. You clean, arrange furniture, and make everything cozy just in case they arrive. Similarly, the uterus prepares itself to welcome and nourish the embryo.
Menstruation Process
Chapter 3 of 3
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Now, however, this lining is not needed any longer. So, the lining slowly breaks and comes out through the vagina as blood and mucous. This cycle takes place roughly every month and is known as menstruation. It usually lasts for about two to eight days.
Detailed Explanation
When the egg is not fertilised, the thickened lining of the uterus is no longer necessary for supporting a pregnancy. As a result, the tissues break down and are shed from the body in a process called menstruation, which typically occurs every month over several days.
Examples & Analogies
Consider the situation like an unwanted garden. Once the flowers (the uterine lining) have bloomed and are no longer needed, they slowly wither and drop from the plants. This represents how the body naturally lets go of what it doesn’t need.
Key Concepts
-
Egg Viability: The egg has a lifespan of about one day post-ovulation.
-
Uterine Preparation: The uterus thickens its lining monthly in anticipation of a fertilised egg.
-
Menstruation: The process whereby the uterine lining is shed if fertilisation does not occur.
Examples & Applications
If a woman ovulates and the egg is not fertilised, she will undergo menstruation approximately two weeks later.
Consistent menstruation is a sign of reproductive health.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
If the egg stays unfertilised, after one day it must be prized; out comes the lining, a monthly sight, known as menstruation, quite polite.
Stories
Once upon a time, a tiny egg waited for a friend to come along and fertilise it. But no one came. After one day, it knew it was time to leave the cozy uterus where it had been resting, and so it packed its bags, saying goodbye to the thick, warm lining and embarked on a journey out to meet the world—a process we call menstruation.
Memory Tools
OLM: Ovulation leads to Lining preparation and Menstruation occurs if unfertilised.
Acronyms
UML
Uterus
Menstruation
Life cycle.
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Ovulation
The process during which an ovary releases an egg.
- Menstruation
The monthly shedding of the uterine lining when fertilisation does not occur.
- Uterus
An organ in the female reproductive system where a fertilised egg can develop into a fetus.
- Zygote
The fertilised egg which can develop into an embryo.
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.