Health Promotion and Maintenance Q 84
A client in the family planning clinic asks the nurse about the most likely time for her to conceive. The nurse explains that conception is most likely to occur when:
A. Estrogen levels are low.
B. Luteinizing hormone is high.
C. The endometrial lining is thin.
D. The progesterone level is low.
Correct Answer: B. Luteinizing hormone is high.
Luteinizing hormone released by the pituitary is responsible for ovulation. At about day 14, the continued increase in estrogen stimulates the release of luteinizing hormone from the anterior pituitary. The LH surge is responsible for ovulation, or the release of the dominant follicle in preparation for conception, which occurs within the next 10–12 hours after the LH levels peak.
Option A: Estrogen levels are high at the beginning of ovulation. At about day 14 in the menstrual cycle, a sudden surge in luteinizing hormone causes the ovary to release its egg. The egg begins its five-day travel through a narrow, hollow structure called the fallopian tube to the uterus. As the egg is traveling through the fallopian tube, the level of progesterone, another hormone, rises, which helps prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy.
Option C: The endometrial lining is thick, not thin. The blastocyst then attaches itself to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium). This attachment process is called implantation. Release of the hormones estrogen and progesterone causes the endometrium to thicken, which provides the nutrients the blastocyst needs to grow and eventually develop into a baby.
Option D: The progesterone levels are high, not low. As cells continue to divide — some developing into the baby, others forming the nourishment and oxygen supply structure called the placenta — hormones are released that signal the body that a baby is growing inside the uterus. These hormones also signal the uterus to maintain its lining rather than shedding it.