What is Ovulation?

Hint: The name of the mechanism that typically occurs once in a menstrual cycle when changes in hormones cause an ovary to produce an egg.

Complete Answer:
- Ovulation is the liberation of one of the ovaries of a woman from an egg. It travels down the Fallopian tube after the egg is released, where fertilisation by a sperm cell may occur. Usually, ovulation lasts one day and happens in the centre of the menstrual cycle of a woman, approximately two weeks before she expects to receive her period.
- But for each woman, the duration of the procedure varies and it can also differ from month to month. If a woman hopes to get pregnant, she'll want to keep track of when she will ovulate. It is helpful to know when a woman ovulates every month because she is the most fertile, or willing to become pregnant, around the time of ovulation.
- A woman's body prepares for a possible pregnancy with each monthly menstrual cycle. Hormones, including the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone, as well as follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, control the cycle. In all stages of the menstrual cycle, hormones play a vital role, helping the ovum (egg) to mature and ultimately be released.

Note: A sperm cell can fertilise the egg as a mature egg leaves a woman's ovary and passes into the fallopian tube. After sexual intercourse, sperm will reside within the reproductive tract of a woman for around 3 to 5 days. A sperm cell must fertilise the egg within 12 to 24 hours of ovulation for the conception to take place. Then, the fertilised egg moves to the uterus or womb, where it can bind to the uterine lining and turn into a foetus.