Functions of Oxytocin, Progesterone and Estrogen

Oxytocin
It initiates contractions in a uterus at pregnancy term. Peripheral vessel dilation, a side effect of oxytocin, may cause extreme hypotension. Excessive stimulation of the uterus by oxytocin may lead to tonic uterine contractions with fetal death, or in extreme instances, rupture of the uterus. It also has an antidiuretic effect resulting in decreased urine flow, possibly leading to water intoxication.

 Induction of labor with oxytocin may predispose the newborn to hyperbilirubinemia and jaundice. To increase uterine contraction, reduce blood loss and shorten labor. Oxytocin causes the cells around the alveoli to contract and eject your milk down the milk ducts. This passing of the milk down the ducts is called the letdown (milk ejection) reflex

Progesterone
Also known as the hormone of the mothers Progesterone is necessary to maintain the endometrial lining of the uterus during pregnancy. It is present in as early as the 4th week of pregnancy as a result of continuation of the corpus luteum. When placental synthesis begins (at around the 12th week), the level rises progressively during the remainder of the pregnancy.

 It also appears to reduce the contractility of the uterine musculature during pregnancy, which prevents premature labor. Such reduced contractility is probably produced by a change in electrolytes (notably potassium and calcium), which decreases the action potential of the uterus.

Estrogen (primarily estriol)

Often referred to as hormone of the women It contributes to the mothers mammary gland development in preparation for lactation and stimulates uterine growth to accommodate the developing fetus. Assessing the amount of estriol in maternal serum was used in the past to test fetal well-being

Menstrual Cycle

Menstrual cycle
defined as episodic uterine bleeding in response to cyclic hormonal changes. It is the process that allows conception and implantation of a new life. The purpose of a menstrual cycle is to ring an ovum to maturity and renew a uterine tissue bed that will be responsible for its growth should it be fertilized

Characteristics of Normal Menstrual Cycle

Characteristic Description

Beginning (menarche)

Ave. age of onset, 12 or 13 yrs; ave. range of age, 9-17 yrs

Ave. 28days; cycles of 3 to 35 days not unusual Ave. flow, 2-7 days; ranges of 1-9 days not abnormal Diff. to estimate; ave. 30 to 80ml per menstrual period; saturating pad or tampon in less than an hour is heavy bleeding Dark red; a combination of blood, mucus and endometrial cells Similar to that marigolds

Interval between cycles

Duration of menstrual flow

Amount of menstrual flow

Color of menstrual flow

Odor

Physiology of Menstruation
Four body structures are involved n the physiology of the menstrual cycle; hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the ovaries, and the uterus

Hypothalamus
The release of luteinizing hormonereleasing hormone by the hypothalamus initiates the menstrual cycle; presence of estrogen represses the hormone

Pituitary Gland
Under the influence of LHRH, adenohypophysis produce two hormones that act on the ovaries to further influence the menstrual cycle: FSH, a hormone that is active early in the cycle and is responsible for maturation of the ovum LH, a hormone that becomes most active at the midpoint of the cycle and is responsible for ovulation, or release of the mature egg cell from the ovary and the growth of the uterine lining during the second half of the menstrual cycle.

Ovary
Under the influence of FSH and LH, called gonadotropic hormones because they cause growth (trophy) in the gonads (ovaries), one ovum matures in one or the other overy and is discharged from it each month

Uterus
Stimulation from the hormones produced by the ovaries causes specific monthly effects on the uterus.

First phase of menstrual cycle (Proliferative)

The endometrium, or linning of the uterus, is very thin, only approximately one cell layer in depth. As the ovary begins to produce estrogen, the endometrium begins to proliferate. This growth is very rapid and increases the thickness of the endometrium approximately eightfold. Day 5 to day 14.

Second phase of menstrual cycle (Secretory)

After the ovulation, the formation of progesterone in the corpus luteum causes the glands of the uterine endometrium to become corkscrew or twisted in appearance and dilated with quantities of glycogen and mucin, an elementary sugar and protein. The capillary of the endometrium increases in amount until the lining takes on the appearance of rich, spongy velvet. Day 15-21.

Third phase of menstrual cycle (Ischemic)

If fertilization does not occur, the corpus luteum in the ovary begins to regress after 8 to 10days. As it regresses, the production of progesterone and estrogen decreases. With the withdrawal of progesterone stimulation, the endometrium of the uterus begins to degenerate. The capillaries rupture, with minute hemorrhages, and the endometrium sloughs off.

Menses: Final Phase of a Menstrual Cycle

Products are discharged from the uterus as the menstrual flow or menses: Blood from ruptured capillaries Mucin from the glands Fragments of endometrial tissue The microscopic, atrophied, and unfertilized ovum

 Menses is actually the end of an arbitrarily defined menstrual cycle. Because it is the only external marker of the cycle, however, the first day of menstrual flow is used to mark the beginning day of a new menstrual cycle

Menopause
Menopause is the cessation of menstrual cycles. The post menopausal period is the time of life following menopause. Perimenopausal is a term used to denote the period during which menopausal changes are occurring. The earlier the age of menarche, the earlier menopause tends to occur.

End