Case Study

AMBERS SECRET

1. What are the hormonal and physical changes that occurred in Amber’s normal menstrual cycle before she became pregnant? Cyclic changes in the secretion of gonadotropin hormones from the anterior pituitary cause the ovarian changes during a monthly cycle. The ovarian cycle is accompanied by cyclic changes in the secretion of estradiol and progesterone, which cause changes in the endometrium of the uterus during a menstrual cycle.

2. Apparently Amber did not use a birth control method. If she had, what options did she have and how do the various methods work?There are many, many birth control options, but a few of them are birth control pills, patches, shots, sponges, implants, condoms, diaphragms, and IUDs. Birth control pills are made of hormones. Some pills contain two hormones - estrogen and progestin. These are combination pills. They work by keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs (ovulation). The birth control shot and implant work in the same way. Another option is the birth control sponge. The sponge covers the cervix and blocks sperm from entering the uterus. The sponge also continuously releases a spermicide that keeps sperm from moving.

3. What are the normal stages of development in a fetus during the fi rst weeks after conception?In the first weeks after conception, neural tubes are forming, heart and primitive circulatory system is rapidly forming, the heartbeats begin, the umbilical cord develops, blood starts pumping, most other organs are beginning to develop, and arm and leg buds appear.

4. What are the hormonal and physical changes going on in Amber during her pregnancy? What is keeping her from menstruating as normal?Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is a hormone secreted by the placenta that maintains pregnancy during the early development of the embryo. Many of the symptoms that women experience in early pregnancy, such as morning sickness and fatigue, are caused by rising levels of hCG within the body.

Estrogen,...