Menstrual Cycle, Disorders & Menopause
This hypothalamic hormone is released in pulses to stimulate FSH and LH secretion from the anterior pituitary.
What is GnRH?
This hormone, produced by the syncytiotrophoblast, sustains the corpus luteum early in pregnancy and is the basis for pregnancy testing.
What is hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)?
This condition represents an exaggerated, dysregulated version of the normal cyclic hormonal remodeling of breast tissue, and is described by four coexisting histologic components.
What is fibrocystic change?
This cell layer, together with an intact basement membrane, is what distinguishes in situ breast carcinoma from invasive carcinoma.
What is the myoepithelial cell layer?
This region of the cervix, where columnar epithelium is actively being replaced by metaplastic squamous epithelium, is the site of origin for nearly all cervical dysplasia.
What is the transformation zone?
This ovarian phase, dominated by rising estrogen from a maturing follicle, corresponds to the endometrium's proliferative phase.
What is the follicular phase?
This trophoblastic cell population invades the maternal spiral arteries to remodel them into low-resistance vessels supplying the placenta.
What is the extravillous trophoblast?
This benign biphasic breast tumor, most common in women under 30, is estrogen-sensitive and composed of both glandular and stromal elements.
What is a fibroadenoma?
This nipple skin finding results from malignant ductal (DCIS) cells migrating through the ductal system into the epidermis without ever crossing the basement membrane.
What is Paget's disease of the breast?
These two high-risk HPV oncoproteins degrade Rb and p53 respectively, disabling the cell's proliferation checkpoint and apoptosis safety net simultaneously.
What are E6 and E7?
This midcycle surge, triggered by peak estrogen's brief switch to positive feedback, triggers ovulation.
What is the LH surge?
This pregnancy complication is characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks, rooted in abnormal spiral artery remodeling and placental ischemia.
What is preeclampsia?
This benign male breast condition arises from a shift favoring estrogen relative to androgen, and shows ductal epithelial hyperplasia with stromal edema in its early phase.
What is gynecomastia (florid phase)?
These two matrix metalloproteinases degrade type IV collagen and are largely responsible for breaching the basement membrane during invasion.
What are MMP-2 and MMP-9?
This histologic finding — a squamous cell with perinuclear cytoplasmic clearing and a wrinkled, enlarged nucleus — reflects active HPV viral replication.
What is a koilocyte?
This structure, formed from the ruptured follicle after ovulation, secretes progesterone to sustain the endometrium's secretory phase.
What is the corpus luteum?
This condition results from implantation of the fertilized egg outside the uterine cavity, most commonly within the fallopian tube.
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
This hypothalamic hormone directly stimulates prolactin release from pituitary lactotrophs, explaining why primary hypothyroidism can cause galactorrhea.
What is TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone)?
This tumor suppressor gene, central to homologous recombination DNA repair, is most associated with triple-negative/basal-like breast cancer when mutated.
What is BRCA1?
This condition represents ascending infection from the cervix into the endometrium and fallopian tubes, most often caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea.
What is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)?
This condition is marked by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries, driven in part by insulin resistance and an elevated LH:FSH ratio.
What is PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)?
This placental complication involves premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall prior to delivery.
What is placental abruption?
This non-lactational form of mastitis, strongly associated with smoking, causes squamous metaplasia and keratin plugging of the subareolar ducts, often producing a sterile granulomatous reaction rich in plasma cells.
What is periductal mastitis / duct ectasia (plasma cell mastitis)?
This receptor tyrosine kinase, when its gene is amplified, becomes overexpressed and dimerizes even without a bound ligand, driving RAS/MAPK and PI3K/AKT proliferative signaling.
What is HER2 (ERBB2)?
Unlike the typical ascending route of PID, this organism reaches the fallopian tubes via hematogenous spread from a primary pulmonary focus.
What is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (genital TB)?