FEMALE PHYSIOLOGY
Even if you never have a baby, your body's capacity to conceive and carry children drives many of the important physical changes you experience throughout your life. Hormones, chemicals produced by your glands or other tissues, control these changes and others, such as the emotions you experience as you mature into adulthood.
PubertyPuberty, the transition to sexual maturity, usually takes between 2 to 5 years. Girls usually start puberty between ages 12 and 15, but sometimes as young as 8. During puberty the female sex hormone oestrogen fosters the growth of the sex organs: the ovaries, Fallopian tube, and uterus. This is when your ovaries - your reproductive glands - start to fully function by releasing a mature egg each month. The lining of your uterus (or womb) builds up each month, ready to support a fertilised egg. The egg is carried into your Fallopian tube but if no sperm fertilises that egg, the uterine lining sheds, mixed with blood, during your menstrual period. Among other changes, oestrogen also makes you:- grow tall quickly- develop breasts- grow pubic hair and underarm hair- get broader hips- perspire more- get oily skin, and maybe pimples- grow coarser hair on your legs- have vaginal secretions.
PregnancyIf you get pregnant, your body undergoes many more, dramatic changes, regulated by a variety of hormones. This includes the growth of the placenta within the uterus. The placenta acts like a spongy lifeline carrying nutrients, gases and wastes to and from the embryo. Externally, the most obvious changes to your body include the expansion of your abdomen to accommodate the foetus, weight gain and bigger breasts.
MenopauseMenopause is when you stop menstruating and usually occurs between ages 42 and 56. Your ovaries start producing less oestrogen in the years leading up to your last period and your menstrual cycle may become unpredictable - irregular, lighter or heavier, until they stop altogether. This lead-up to menopause is called perimenopause. You might also experience symptoms like hot flushes, weight gain, night sweats and mood swings, although some women have no such problems. For those who do, treatments to ease the symptoms include HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and natural therapies. Without the protective effects of oestrogen, after menopause women may be more vulnerable to other health conditions, such as osteoporosis (thinning bones) and heart disease.
Sometimes serious health problems may cause a young woman to experience early menopause, also called premature ovarian failure. This is when a woman stops ovulating, or producing eggs, or ovulation may become infrequent and unpredictable. Health problems that might bring on early menopause could include causes such as dysfunctional ovaries, difficulties with the pituitary gland, which releases hormones, radiation treatment or chemotherapy.
