Unfertilised Egg: Female Body's Response

When an egg released during ovulation is not fertilised by sperm, the female body undergoes a specific process.

Hormonal Changes Trigger Shedding

The primary event involves hormonal shifts:

• Levels of hormones like progesterone and estrogen, which were high to support a potential pregnancy, begin to drop significantly.
• This decline signals the uterus that pregnancy has not occurred.

Uterine Lining Breakdown (Menstruation)

The decrease in hormones causes the thickened uterine lining (endometrium), which was prepared to receive a fertilised egg, to break down.

This breakdown leads to:

• The shedding of the nutrient-rich endometrium.
• The expulsion of this tissue, along with blood, from the body through the vagina. This process is known as menstruation or a menstrual period.

This sequence is a normal part of the reproductive cycle and typically repeats monthly if pregnancy does not occur.