Ovulation Disorder
A person is infertile when they cannot conceive during one year of having unprotected sex. Infertility’s cause may be unknown or may be due to female factors, malefactors, or a combination of both. One of the most prominent reasons for infertility in women is an ovulation disorder. When hormones related to reproduction experience regulation problems, ovulation disorder arises. The condition occasions delays and disturbances in egg production in the menstrual cycle. Some conditions that give rise to ovulation disorder are overproduction of prolactin, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, polycystic ovary failure, and primary ovarian insufficiency (Vogazianou, 2019). When the infertility cause is known, it can be treated. Still, some of the cases are so complex that a couple may end up not having a baby, especially when untreatable female factors are the cause. As discussed above, Hyperprolactinemia, also described as overproduction of prolactin hormone, is one of the reasons for ovulation disorder.
Elevated prolactin levels inhibit the GnRH hormone neurons affecting the production of Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH), reducing the amplitude and frequency of LH pulses (Lai, 2018). Increasingly lower luteinizing hormones due to elevated prolactin levels leads to permanent or temporary infertility in women. Infertility happens when LH stops ovulation or suppresses the production of the GnRH hormone (Vogazianou, 2019). Conditions such as Turner Syndrome and Klinefelter Syndrome cause elevated levels of LH hormones where people with these conditions can often fail to conceive. Interestingly, lower levels of LH in men and women can cause infertility because it leads to low sperm production and limits the ovulation process. Fortunately, higher prolactin levels are treatable through dopamine agonists giving hope of giving birth to thousands of women with infertility caused by high prolactin levels.
Menarche and Menopause
Menarche is the most unambiguous indication of the maturity of a female body when a female adolescent experiences their premier menstrual period. In itself, menstruation signifies the shedding of endometrial lining when fertilization does not occur after ovulation. Menarche relies on the healthy functioning of the human body and its hormones, with the average age for menarche being 12.4 years (Vogazianou, 2019). The most apparent body change that occurs before menarche is the increase in body size. Further, adolescent females experience the enlargement of the vulva, vagina, and nipples together with the breasts. Additionally, pubic hair growth and the appearance of vaginal discharge occur before menarche. Just before menarche, the adolescent can also notice elevated mucous production in the vagina.
Menopause is defined as the lack of a menstrual period for one year or more. Menopause causes several body changes and is common in women 40 to 50 years (Vogazianou, 2019). Some of the most commonly reported symptoms of menopause include vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and weight gain due to decreased production of estrogen and progesterone hormones. Additionally, reduced estrogen levels can cause osteoporosis increasing the risks of fractured bones, spine, or hips. Cardiac palpitations and dizziness are other conditions common in menopause (Vogazianou, 2019). The early phases of menopause are called perimenopause and are characterized by reduced estrogen production and take one to two years. At this stage, women may experience menopause symptoms. The second stage is menopause. This stage is characterized by full-blown menopausal symptoms and the stoppage of eggs and estrogen release (Lai, 2018). Finally, most menopausal symptoms ease in the postmenopausal stage, but the woman remains susceptible to risks associated with decreased estrogen levels.
References
Lai, A. (2018). Female reproductive system.Essential Concepts in Anatomy and Pathology for Undergraduate Revision, 127–133. Web.
Vogazianou, A. (2019). Anatomy and physiology of the Female Reproductive System.Advanced Practice in Endocrinology Nursing, 739–752. Web.