Year 11 - Science
Hormones: puberty, the menstrual cycle and the menopause
Hormones and human reproduction
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers the roles of hormones in reproduction, including the menstrual cycle and the effects of FSH, LH, oestrogen, and progesterone. It explains contraception methods, and fertility treatments, and evaluates their social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the role of hormones in controlling puberty, the menstrual cycle and the menopause in humans.
Key Notes
- Hormones are chemicals that are made and secreted by groups of specialised cells called glands.
- Hormones are transported around the body in the blood plasma, and detected by receptors on cells and tissues.
- During puberty, hormones cause maturation of the sex organs and development of secondary sexual characteristics.
- Hormones control the menstrual cycle in adult human females, by causing ovulation and menstruation.
- Decreases in hormone levels in older human females cause the menopause, after which the menstrual cycle stops.
Vocabulary To Learn
- hormone: a chemical messenger secreted by glands and carried in the blood plasma
- gland: a group of specialised cells that secrete hormones
- puberty: the process of physical changes that lead to sexual maturity
- ovulation: the process of an egg being released from an ovary
- menstruation: the process of the uterus lining breaking down
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Hormones are only released in the brain and control the mood.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Hormones are chemicals that are made and secreted by groups of specialised cells called glands. Hormones are transported around the body in the blood plasma, and detected by receptors on cells and tissues.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'hormone'
a chemical messenger secreted by glands and carried in the blood plasma. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Hormones are only released in the brain and control the mood. Correction: Hormones control many processes in the body and are secreted from many glands. Those involved in puberty and the menstrual cycle have physical effects that may also impact on mood.
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