Lesson 4 of 8

The menstrual cycle

Goal: Describe the stages of the menstrual cycle.

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The menstrual cycle gets the uterus ready for pregnancy. One cycle lasts about 28 days. Then it starts again.

  • Days 1 to 5: menstruation. The lining of the uterus breaks down and leaves the body through the vagina. This is a period.
  • About day 14: ovulation. An ovary releases an egg. By now the lining has grown thick again.
  • If the egg is fertilised and the embryo settles in the lining, the cycle stops. The lining stays in place during the pregnancy.
A wall calendar with a coloured sticker on some of the days
About once a month. Twenty-eight days is an average. A cycle can be shorter or longer than this.

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Key words in this lesson

Ovary An organ that contains eggs and releases them

Uterus The organ where a baby develops, also called the womb

Vagina Receives sperm, and is the way out for a baby at birth

Menstrual cycle A 28-day cycle that prepares the uterus for pregnancy

Ovulation The release of an egg from an ovary

Menstruation The loss of the lining of the uterus, also called a period

Embryo The ball of cells that grows from a fertilised egg

For teachers: AQA 3.10.2