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Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, and though we may share a planet and many other similarities, our bodies function in some majorly different ways.
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In this video, we'll take a look at some of those differences unique to women.
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Women between the ages of 12 and 50 years old undergo a monthly cycle in which their uterus prepares for pregnancy.
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It prepares for a fertilized egg to settle and grow into a baby.
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If pregnancy does not occur, the lining breaks down and is expelled from the uterus. This is known as menstruation.
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The menstrual cycle usually lasts about 28 days.
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During this period, human undergo drastic hormonal fluctuations as well as physical discomforts such as abdominal cramps, headaches, backaches and general nausea.
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This has led to it being colloquially referred to as "The Curse".
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The first stage of the cycle is menstruation and occurs if the egg has not been fertilized.
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This lasts between 3 to 7 days and is more commonly known as a period.
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Because the egg has not been fertilized, the uterus lining called endometrium is not needed, and hence it breaks down and is lost through the vaginal canal with some blood.
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The next stage is known as ovulation and is when the woman is most fertile.
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After menstruation, the lining of the uterus thickens up again in preparation for a fertilized egg and inside the ovary a follicle develops.
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At about 14 days into the cycle, an egg is released from the follicle in the ovaries and fertilization could take place.
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If the eggs fertilized and embeds itself in the thick uterine lining, the lining is not shed, and thus menstruation does not occur and the woman becomes pregnant.
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If it doesn't manage to embed, then the lining will break down and menstruation will occur and the cycle is repeated.
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The menstrual cycle is controlled by two main hormones: estrogen and progesterone.
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We met these hormones in this video.
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Estrogen is produced by the ovaries and causes the uterus lining, the endometrium, to thicken again after menstruation so that it is ready to receive an embryo.
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Progesterone is produced by the empty follicle in the ovary.
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See how it is produced after the egg has been released and then drops off if the egg does not embed in the uterus or if the egg is unfertilized.
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But if the egg is fertilized and embeds, then progesterone levels stay high for the first 6.5 months of pregnancy.
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The follicle continues to produce it and the placenta is formed.
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So estrogen builds up the uterus lining, and progesterone maintains it during the second half of the menstrual cycle.
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There are two other hormones also involved:
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The follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, and the luteinizing hormone, or LH.
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Both FSH and LH are secreted by the pituitary gland.
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FSH causes the egg to mature in the ovary, and it also stimulates the ovaries to release estrogen.
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The estrogen then stops FSH being produced so that only one egg matures in the cycle.
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LH causes the mature egg to be released from the ovary and stimulates the release of progesterone.
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You may want to browse the Internet to learn more about these hormones.
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So from this video, you should now have a better understanding of how the menstrual cycle works,
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how the main hormones, estrogen & progesterone, control it and how a woman's body is affected by these drastic changes.