HDE 12 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Menstrual Synchrony, Menstrual Cycle, Sexual Differentiation
18 Dec 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Endocrine System
• Glands that regulate body processes by releasing hormones
• Important for
o Puberty and sex differentiation
o Metabolism
o Mood
• Hormones: chemical messengers within the body
• Hypothalamus involved in control of
o Body temperature
o Hunger
o Thirst
o Other processes that regulate body equilibrium
• Pituitary gland is the master gland, regulates activity of other glands
• Steroid hormones regulate sexual development and arousal
o Testosterone (androgen) and estrogen
▪ Both sexes have both hormones, but males have more testosterone and
females have more estrogen
o Testosterone and estrogen stored in body fat
• Gonads and adrenal glands produce steroid hormones
o Male: testicles
o Females: ovaries
• Neuropeptide hormones
o Oxytocin “love hormone” or “cuddle hormones”
▪ Facilitates the flow of milk during breastfeeding
• Helps to bond the mother and the child
▪ Elevates our feelings of love and attraction while we cuddle
▪ Helps form strong emotional bonds with those to whom we are close
Female Physiology
• Menstruation: shedding of endometrium (uterine lining)
o Myths and negative attitudes
o Menarche (initial onset)
▪ Age 11-15
▪ Depends on different biological and environmental factors including
genetics, nutrition, altitude
o Menstrual physiology
▪ Flow
▪ Volume
▪ Duration
▪ Menstrual synchrony (pheromones)
o Menstrual cycle: from first day of period to the day before next period
▪ Three phases
• Proliferative
