How does the menstrual cycle work?

How does the menstrual cycle work?

A complex system of hormones controls the menstrual cycle. Every month, hormones prepare the body for pregnancy. Ovulation then occurs. If there is no pregnancy, the cycle ends with the uterus shedding its lining. That shedding is the menstrual period.

The hormones responsible for this cycle originate in different parts of the body. A dysfunction in any of these parts can prevent a person from getting a period:

• Hypothalamus, which controls the pituitary gland.
• Pituitary gland, called “the master gland,” which produces the hormones that instruct the ovaries to ovulate.
• Ovaries, which produce the egg for ovulation and the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
• Uterus, which responds to the hormones and prepares the lining. This lining sheds as the menstrual period if there’s no pregnancy.