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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Oct 4.
Published in final edited form as: Am J Nurs. 2020 Feb;120(2):22–33. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000654304.29632.a7

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

The Hormonal Regulation of Ovulation

At left: the hypothalamus secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete the gonadotropins luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). LH and FSH stimulate the growth and maturation of the ovarian follicles. The mature follicle secretes estrogen, inhibiting the hypothalamus from further GnRH production (until the next reproductive cycle). At right: after ovulation, blood levels of LH and FSH fall, and the ruptured follicle, now a corpus luteum, secretes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterine lining for fertilization and implantation. Adapted with permission from Encyclopædia Britannica, © 2013 by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.