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WHAT ARE fOLLICULAR PHASE AND LUTEAL PHASE IN MENSTRUAL CYCLE ?
The follicular phase lasts from the first day of your period to the day of ovulation. During this phase, your body prepares itself to accept and support a pregnancy. The endometrium (lining of the uterus) grows and thickens, and the vaginal environment also changes in order to become more sperm friendly. In the ovaries, several ovarian follicles (small sacs in which the egg/ovule matures) develop, of which one becomes dominant before ovulation. This phase is called the follicular phase because growth and maturation of the egg/ovule occurs inside a follicle, and the two hormones dominating the follicular phase are follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (a form of oestrogen).
The luteal phase is the final phase of the menstrual cycle and lasts from your day of ovulation to the last day before your next period. Glands in the endometrium (lining of the uterus) secrete proteins in preparation for the implantation of the fertilised egg (embryo). If you get pregnant, the embryo will implant itself in the endometrium during this phase. If implantation does not occur, the endometrium starts to break down and is eventually sloughed off: this is menstruation. The luteal phase is named after the corpus luteum (Latin for "yellow body"), a structure that grows in the ovary. It is dominated by progesterone, which is also the hormone responsible for the rise in body basal temperature (BBT).


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