Question

• PLEASE ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTION. PLEASE IN\DICATE THE QUESTION THEN THE ANSWER BELOW

• Reproduction

  A 33 year old woman and her 32 year old husband have been trying to have a baby for over a year. Unfortunately, they have not yet been able to conceive. The woman has been tracking her cycle and does not have a regular 28 day cycle. Both husband and wife are somewhat healthy, non-smokers and occasional drinker, although the women has given up drinking since they have started trying for a baby.

  1. Since the women does not have a regular cycle, you first want to determine if she is ovulating. You decide to test her hormonal levels.
  1. Where are gonadotropins produced?
  2. What hormones signal the production of gonadotropins?
  3. What hormones signal the release of gonadotropins?
  4. On which tissues do gonadotropins act in the female body?
  5. What hormonal surge causes ovulation?
  6. How is the hormonal surge produced?
  7. In what phase of the menstrual cycle does the surge begin to occur?
  8. How does the hormonal surge cause ovulation?
  1. You determine that the woman is not ovulating regularly, which is perhaps due to low levels of estrogen. After further investigation you determine that her family has a history of high cholesterol, she avoids eating many types of foods, including fats and cholesterol. This lack of cholesterol has lead to a loss of normal estradiol production, and an irregular menstrual cycle.   
  1. What structures produces estrodiol?
  2. How does cholesterol play a role in producing estrodiols?
  3. Production of which other hormones may have been affected by low cholesterol levels?
  1. The woman receives proper nutritional consultation and adjusts her diet in a healthy way. Her menstrual cycle becomes regular and her hormonal levels indicate that she is ovulating. You next determine whether she is actually ovulating. To do so, you use ultrasound imaging to survey her ovaries.
  1. What structure will be present if she has just ovulated?
  2. What hormone does it produce?
  3. What is the hormones role?
  4. What is the structure called after a few weeks post ovulation?
  1. The woman does in fact ovulate, so you now determine if her reproductive organs are also functioning and are properly formed.
  1. In which structure does conception occur?
  2. In which structure does implantation occur?
  1. The woman’s reproductive system is healthy and no longer presents any obvious issues. However, the couple are still not able to get pregnant. You now test the husband’s sperm.
  1. What role do the Leydig cells play in sperm production?
  2. What role do the Sertoli cells play in sperm production?
  3. Where is testosterone produced?
  4. What stimulates the production of testosterone?
  5. What prevents the production of testosterone?
  6. What role does the ejaculate play in maintaining sperm health?
  1. You determine that the husband does not have any sperm, dead or alive, in the ejaculate. You investigate if there is a problem with his reproductive structures.
  1. What structure links the testes to the urethra?
  2. What role does the blood-testes-barrier play in sperm production?
  1. You are able to determine that the husband has under developed vas deferens, preventing sperm release. You are able to retrieve healthy sperm and inseminate the woman.   

  Success! The couple is pregnant.

  1. Where are mature sperm stored?
  2. What hormone contributes to the development of the vas deferens?
  3. When does the development of the vas deferens occur?
  4. What structure would you look for to determine if the sperm was mature?
  5. How many chromosomes does mature sperm have?
  6. What hormone helps to maintain the pregnancy?
  7. How does it help to maintain the pregnancy?

Answer 1

Qn 1. Where are gonadotropins produced?

Anterior pituitary

Qn 2. What hormones signal the production of gonadotropins?

gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) produced by hypothalamus

​​​Qn 3. What hormones signal the release of gonadotropins?

gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)

Qn 4. On which tissues do gonadotropins act in the female body?

Gonadotropins act on gonads. In females they act on OVARY to control ovum production and sex hormone production

Qn 5. What hormonal surge causes ovulation?

Leutinizing hormone (LH) surge

Qn 6. How is the hormonal surge produced?

maturing ovarian follicles synthesize estrogens. When estrogen levels increase, they activate hypothalamic-pituitary axis producing LH surge.

Qn 7. In what phase of the menstrual cycle does the surge begin to occur?

LH surge occurs In the follicular phase and it results in ovulatory phase of menstrual cycle

Qn 8. How does the hormonal surge cause ovulation?

The LH surge increases proteolytic enzymes inside the follicles, causes weakening of the wall of ovary and allows mature follicle to pass through resulting in ovulation. Also it helps to  increase progesterone levels which results in development of the corpus luteum and release of follicle.