Menstruation: Myths, Mechanisms, Models and Malfunctions
Description:... The endometrium is a remarkable, resilient, hormone-dependent tissue that prepares each month for the arrival of a blastocyst and the subsequent establishment of pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, endometrial tissue surrounding the uterine cavity breaks down releasing tissue fragments, blood, and fluid into the lumen during menstruation. The appearance of 'blood' in the vagina is the hallmark of menstruation, and in a modern society with low birth rate, may occur 400 times during a woman's fertile, reproductive life. Menstruation only occurs in a few species, and is linked to terminal differentiation of stromal cells (decidualization) in response to ovarian steroids. During menstruation the endometrium resembles a bloody wound with a strong inflammatory response. The endometrium is almost unique amongst adult tissues in the rapid resolution of inflammation and restoration of the surface without forming a scar or fibrotic response.
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