What happens when the Egg is not Fertilised?

7.3.3 (c) What happens when the Egg is not Fertilised?

Description

Quick Overview

When an egg is not fertilised, it has a short lifespan leading to menstruation, where the unnecessary uterine lining is shed.

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.

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.

Memory Aids

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • If the egg stays unfertilised, after one day it must be prized; out comes the lining, a monthly sight, known as menstruation, quite polite.

📖 Fascinating 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.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • OLM: Ovulation leads to Lining preparation and Menstruation occurs if unfertilised.

🎯 Super Acronyms

UML

  • Uterus
  • Menstruation
  • Life cycle.

Examples

  • 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.

Glossary of Terms

  • Term: Ovulation

    Definition:

    The process during which an ovary releases an egg.

  • Term: Menstruation

    Definition:

    The monthly shedding of the uterine lining when fertilisation does not occur.

  • Term: Uterus

    Definition:

    An organ in the female reproductive system where a fertilised egg can develop into a fetus.

  • Term: Zygote

    Definition:

    The fertilised egg which can develop into an embryo.