✓ Revise Right course
Four hormones control the menstrual cycle: FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone. Free GCSE AQA Biology notes with key terms and 14 questions answered.
The Menstrual Cycle and Hormone Control is part of Hormonal coordination in humans in GCSE AQA Higher Biology.
4 min
Reading time
22
Lessons in this topic
GCSE AQA Higher
Pathway
Reviewed by Revise Right
Content review
Four hormones control the menstrual cycle: FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone. Free GCSE AQA Biology notes with key terms and 14 questions answered.
AQA GCSE Biology mock draft, 26–31 Oct. Draft coverage: Biology Paper 1 (Higher tier). Reviewed for an original-practice sitting; check student availability before registering. Marking and results will follow later, after separate approval. Eligible new accounts receive a five-day Pro trial when signup email verification completes. Previous trials keep their original expiry. After expiry, new papers need Pro unless you have an explicitly confirmed free sitting offer for this event. That offer adds no Pro time or AI learning. Saved attempts and released results remain readable. No card or automatic charge.
Use this lesson to stay inside Hormonal coordination in humans while connecting the detail back to the wider Homeostasis and response topic.
Read the core explanations from The Menstrual Cycle and Hormone Control before testing yourself from memory.
Every month, a woman's body prepares for potential pregnancy through a carefully orchestrated sequence of events. This isn't random - it's controlled by four key hormones working together like a perfectly timed relay race.
Picture your ovaries as factories and your uterus as a nursery. The hormones are the managers, each with specific jobs: FSH starts egg production, LH triggers release, oestrogen prepares the nursery, and progesterone maintains it. When these managers don't communicate properly, the whole system breaks down.
Understanding this cycle is crucial for GCSE Biology because it demonstrates negative feedback, hormone interactions, and homeostasis - three major concepts that appear across multiple exam papers.
Trap: Many students think FSH releases the egg - it doesn't. FSH only matures the egg inside its follicle. Think of it as the hormone that 'grows' the egg, not the one that 'fires' it.
Here's the key insight: these hormones don't work independently. They form a communication network where each hormone's level affects the others. This creates the cyclical pattern that repeats every 28 days (on average).
Let's trace what happens during one menstrual cycle, focusing on the hormone changes that drive each event. Think of this as a monthly story with four distinct chapters.
Worked example: Tracking Hormone Changes Through the Menstrual Cycle
Describe what happens to hormone levels during a typical 28-day menstrual cycle, starting from day 1 (menstruation).
Answer: The cycle shows coordinated hormone changes: FSH rises first (days 1-13), LH surges at ovulation (day 14), then progesterone dominates the second half (days 15-28).
Notice the pattern: each hormone has its moment to shine, but they're all connected. When oestrogen rises, it tells the pituitary to reduce FSH. When progesterone falls, it signals the start of the next cycle. This is negative feedback in action.
For Higher Tier students, you need to understand how these hormones interact through feedback mechanisms. This is where the cycle becomes a sophisticated control system, not just a sequence of events.
The key insight: oestrogen has a dual role. Early in the cycle, rising oestrogen inhibits FSH (negative feedback). But when oestrogen reaches a critical threshold around day 12-13, it switches to positive feedback, triggering the LH surge that causes ovulation.
Worked example: Understanding Hormone Interactions (Higher Tier)
Explain how oestrogen controls both FSH and LH through feedback mechanisms during the menstrual cycle.
Answer: Oestrogen shows both negative feedback (inhibiting FSH when moderate) and positive feedback (triggering LH surge when high), demonstrating complex hormonal control.
Exam Insight: Questions often ask you to explain why FSH levels drop after day 10. The answer is oestrogen's negative feedback effect. Don't just say 'negative feedback' - explain that rising oestrogen from the developing follicle inhibits FSH release from the pituitary gland.
Exam questions love hormone graphs because they test your ability to interpret data and link patterns to biological processes. Here's how to decode them like a pro.
Exam depth extension: In the menstrual cycle and hormone control, connect the monthly cycle - why your body has a schedule to the four key players - meet your hormones using clear cause-and-effect statements. When you explain biological processes, include what changes, why it changes, and the consequence for cells, organisms, or populations. If calculations appear, show each step, include units, and end with a sentence that interprets the result in biological context.
Worked example: Interpreting a Menstrual Cycle Graph
A graph shows LH peaking at day 15, oestrogen highest at day 13, and progesterone rising from day 16-26. What can you conclude about this cycle?
Answer: This shows a normal 28-day cycle with ovulation slightly delayed to day 15, followed by a normal 12-day luteal phase.
Menstrual cycle questions appear regularly in GCSE Biology papers, often worth 4-6 marks. Here's how to maximise your score by understanding what examiners want.
Common Exam Mistakes to Avoid:
❌ Saying FSH releases the egg (it only matures it)❌ Confusing oestrogen and progesterone functions❌ Forgetting that LH causes ovulation, not just egg maturation❌ Not explaining the feedback mechanism - just naming it❌ Mixing up which phase of the cycle each hormone dominates
Mark-Winning Phrases: Use these exact terms in your answers: 'negative feedback', 'corpus luteum', 'follicle maturation', 'ovulation', 'uterine lining maintenance'. Examiners look for precise scientific vocabulary.
Published by Revise Right. Use the official specification reference to check the requirements for your course. Content updated: 2026-03-20.
Move to the related lessons or back to the topic page when you need the wider sequence before exam-style practice.
The menstrual cycle has menstruation (days 1-5), when the lining is shed and FSH rises; the follicular phase (days 6-13), when an egg matures and oestrogen thickens the lining; ovulation (day 14), triggered by the LH surge; and the luteal phase (days 15-28), when progesterone maintains the lining.
Four hormones control the menstrual cycle: FSH, released by the pituitary gland, causes an egg to mature; LH stimulates the release of the mature egg (ovulation); oestrogen, from the developing follicle, rebuilds and maintains the uterine lining; and progesterone, from the corpus luteum, maintains the thick uterine lining.
FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) is released by the pituitary gland and causes maturation of an egg in the ovary. Its levels are highest at the start of the cycle; it matures the egg inside its follicle but does not release it, which is the job of LH.
LH (luteinising hormone) stimulates the release of the mature egg from the ovary, called ovulation. It shows a dramatic surge around day 14 of a 28-day cycle, triggered by high oestrogen, and ovulation follows within 24-36 hours.
The corpus luteum is the remains of the follicle after ovulation. It produces progesterone, which maintains the thick uterine lining for potential implantation and inhibits both FSH and LH.
The LH surge is caused by high oestrogen: when oestrogen reaches a critical threshold around day 12-13, it switches to positive feedback and stimulates the LH surge, which causes ovulation.
Rising oestrogen from the developing follicle inhibits FSH release from the pituitary gland by negative feedback, which is why FSH levels drop after day 10. When oestrogen reaches a critical threshold around day 12-13, it switches to positive feedback, triggering the LH surge that causes ovulation.
Progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum, the remains of the follicle after ovulation, and maintains the thick uterine lining for potential implantation. It also inhibits FSH and LH; if no pregnancy occurs, progesterone drops, triggering the next menstruation.
FSH does not release the egg; it only matures the egg inside its follicle. LH is the hormone that stimulates release of the mature egg from the ovary (ovulation).
Ovulation happens around day 14 of a 28-day menstrual cycle, triggered by a surge in LH. On a hormone graph, the LH peak shows when ovulation occurs, usually within 24-36 hours.
FSH levels drop after day 10 because rising oestrogen from the developing follicle inhibits FSH release from the pituitary gland, an example of negative feedback. This prevents multiple eggs maturing at the same time.
Menstruation is triggered when progesterone levels drop. If no pregnancy occurs, progesterone falls at the end of the luteal phase, the uterine lining is shed, and FSH starts to rise for the next cycle.
Ovulation on a hormone graph is found at the LH peak, because the LH surge triggers ovulation. Oestrogen should peak 1-2 days before the LH surge, and progesterone only rises after ovulation, when the corpus luteum is active.
Oestrogen shows both types of feedback because at moderate levels it inhibits FSH release (negative feedback), but when it reaches a high threshold around day 12-13 it stimulates the LH surge (positive feedback), which triggers ovulation.