Neurotransmitters and Hormones (Nursing)

00:01 Now, let's look at all of the elements and all the neurotransmitters and hormones together.

00:06 And let's review what each one does.

00:10 GnRH. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone is released from...

00:15 exactly, the hypothalamus.

00:17 And it's responsible for stimulating the anterior pituitary to release...

00:22 FSH, Follicle stimulating hormone; and LH, Luteinizing hormone.

00:28 Those two hormones are responsible for helping not only the ovum and the follicle mature, but the LH specifically is going to trigger ovulation.

00:38 Inside the ovary, we have the production of estrogen that's going to be early on, and that estrogen is going to help make things fluffy.

00:47 It's going to help prepare the endometrial lining.

00:49 So that is its function.

00:52 Then progesterone is going to come in with the production of the corpus luteum.

00:56 And it's going to help to stabilize the endometrium.

00:59 So that's its function.

01:00 And then at the corpus luteum is not influenced by hCG from a conceptus, then the corpus luteum is going to degenerate.

01:08 Our estrogen and progesterone levels are going to fall.

01:11 And we're going to begin our production of GnRH from the hypothalamus all over again.

01:17 So let's see if we have all of that down.

01:20 What you have in front of you is sort of a mixed up order of the menstrual cycle.

01:23 I want you to now take a few minutes and see if you can put each of these steps of the process of the menstrual cycle in the correct order.

01:32 And then we'll go through each one and see if you got it right.

01:40 Okay, let's see how you did.

01:43 So step one, the Gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH is going to be released from the hypothalamus.

01:51 Step two, GnRH is actually going to stimulate the anterior pituitary to then release FSH, Follicle Stimulating Hormone.

02:01 And step four, the FSH actually stimulates the graafian follicle.

02:06 So remember, the follicle is there.

02:08 And then in step five, estradiol or estrogen levels increase because that's what's being produced.

02:15 After the estrogen levels increase, we find that the estrogen is doing two things.

02:21 First, it's going to increase the thickening of the endometrium and also it's going to continue to elevate as the ova matures.

02:28 Now, you could probably put six or seven in opposite order, and it would still be okay.

02:34 Finally, the GnRH is actually going to trigger the release of the luteinizing hormone.

02:39 And that happens as a result of the estrogen.

02:42 And then we have a surge in LH and that surge in LH is actually going to trigger the eruption of the egg.

02:50 So that happens 24 to 36 hours after that surge.

02:55 Under the influence of the LH the follicle that's left over is actually going to become the corpus luteum.

03:01 And progesterone is going to be released.

03:04 And the role of progesterone is to stabilize the endometrium.

03:08 On step 13, if we don't have fertilization, and we don't have a conceptus, then estrogen and progesterone levels are going to begin to decline.

03:17 And that's going to be a signal to shed the lining of the endometrium and begin the process again.

03:23 So, I have one more slide in the correct order.

03:26 So you can use this to go back and make sure that you have all the details all put together.