The menstrual cycle in females is controlled by hormones that are secreted by
- (a)Ovary and lacrimal gland
- (b)Ovary and sebaceous gland
- (c)Ovary and pituitary gland
- (d)Prostate and pituitary gland
Correct — C, ovary and pituitary gland. The menstrual cycle is run by two co-operating sources of hormones: the pituitary gland secretes follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH), which drive the maturing of the egg and ovulation, while the ovary secretes estrogen and progesterone, which prepare and maintain the uterine lining. The cycle is the result of feedback between these two glands, so the correct pairing is the ovary and the pituitary.
- (a)Ovary and lacrimal gland — The lacrimal gland only produces tears to lubricate and protect the eye. It secretes no reproductive hormone and has nothing to do with the menstrual cycle.
- (b)Ovary and sebaceous gland — The sebaceous gland secretes sebum (oil) into the skin. It is not an endocrine gland of the reproductive axis and does not control the menstrual cycle.
- (d)Prostate and pituitary gland — The prostate is a male accessory reproductive gland; females do not have one, so it cannot be involved in the menstrual cycle. The ovary, not the prostate, is the female partner to the pituitary here.
The menstrual cycle is governed by a hormonal axis linking the pituitary gland and the ovaries. The pituitary releases FSH and LH, which stimulate the ovary; the ovary in turn releases estrogen and progesterone, which act on the uterus and feed back to the pituitary. This two-way signalling produces the roughly monthly cycle of egg maturation, ovulation and preparation of the uterine lining.
The question tests which glands supply the controlling hormones. Recognising that the cycle needs both a 'command' gland (pituitary, via FSH and LH) and a 'responder' gland (ovary, via estrogen and progesterone) rules out every option except the ovary-and-pituitary pair. The distractors deliberately mix in non-endocrine glands (lacrimal, sebaceous) and a male gland (prostate).
- The pituitary gland secretes FSH and LH, which drive egg maturation and ovulation.
- The ovary secretes estrogen and progesterone, which build and maintain the uterine lining.
- Feedback between the ovary and pituitary produces the roughly 28-day menstrual cycle.
- The lacrimal (tear) and sebaceous (oil) glands and the male prostate play no role in the cycle.
The cycle is controlled by the ovary working with the pituitary - option (c).
- Distractors slip in non-endocrine glands (lacrimal, sebaceous) that produce tears or oil, not hormones.
- The prostate is a male gland; it cannot control a female menstrual cycle.
Asked which glands or hormones control the menstrual cycle, or to match FSH/LH and estrogen/progesterone to the pituitary and ovary.
The pituitary gland by virtue of its tropic hormones controls the secretory activity of other endocrine glands. Which one of the following endocrine glands can function independent of the pituitary gland?
- (a) Thyroid
- (b) Gonads
- (c) Adrenals
- (d) Parathyroid
Answer(d) Parathyroid — it responds directly to blood-calcium levels, whereas the gonads (ovaries), thyroid and adrenals are driven by pituitary tropic hormones.
Rests on the same pituitary-controls-the-ovary axis that Q138 uses — the pituitary's FSH and LH command the ovary, whereas the parathyroid is the exception that runs independently.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which two hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary gland regulate the ovarian part of the menstrual cycle?
- (a)Insulin and glucagon
- (b)FSH and LH
- (c)Adrenaline and cortisol
- (d)Thyroxine and calcitonin
Answer(b) FSH and LH — follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone drive egg maturation and ovulation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that prepare the uterine lining, are secreted mainly by the
- (a)Pituitary gland
- (b)Ovary
- (c)Adrenal gland
- (d)Thyroid gland
Answer(b) Ovary — it secretes estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle.