Читать книгу Getting Pregnant For Dummies - Sharon Perkins - Страница 42

You can have all the reproductive organs you need, all in perfect order, and still have no chance of getting pregnant. You can’t get pregnant unless your organs are all synchronized to produce an egg and prepare a proper “landing spot” for it in the uterus at the proper time. What you need to orchestrate the process are hormones, which are chemical substances released from one part of the body that cause a reaction in another part of the body.

The three female hormone-control systems that work together to orchestrate your menstrual cycle are

 The hypothalamus: The small structure in the middle of the brain that regulates the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as body weight and temperature.

 The pituitary: An endocrine gland at the base of the brain below the hypothalamus that secretes several hormones, including follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are critical for reproduction. The pituitary gland used to be called the “master gland” as it plays a large role in controlling functions of the endocrine systems, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes.

 The ovary: The female reproductive organ that produces estrogen, progesterone, and eggs.

These three hormone systems work together in a feedback system called the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, which simply means that they function together to produce a seamless masterpiece — your menstrual cycle.

The main female hormones are:

 Estrogen (E2)

 Luteinizing hormone (LH)

 Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

 Progesterone (P4)