How does the female body make eggs? What does ovulation mean?
All females are born with millions of eggs, or ova, in each of two ovaries. The eggs don’t begin to develop until puberty. Each month after the start of menstruation, an ovary releases one mature egg in a process called ovulation. If there are multiple ovulations, they will occur within a 24 hour time span. Mature egg cells only live 12-24 hours. What does “getting your period” mean? Menstruation or the menstrual period, the periodic shedding of the uterine lining, happens at the end of the menstrual cycle. Several things happen during the menstrual cycle which are related to an interplay with various female hormones. Each month, a woman’s body releases an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation), and the lining of the woman’s uterus becomes thick and soft with blood and tissue. If the egg is not fertilized by a man’s sperm (also known as conception), the body sheds the uterine lining through the vagina about 1 to 2 weeks after ovulation. The menstrual period usually lasts 3 to 7 days.
