Key Concepts
Overview
The menstrual cycle is a recurring series of physiological changes occurring in the female reproductive system, averaging 28 days (normal range: 21–35 days). It is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and has two simultaneously occurring cycles: the ovarian cycle (follicular → ovulation → luteal) and the uterine cycle (menstrual → proliferative → secretory). Understanding the menstrual cycle is foundational to antepartum assessment, fertility counseling, and reproductive health nursing across all practice settings. On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable data—notice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; scope errors are classic trap answers even when the clinical topic is familiar. Run a 60-second scan: breathing work and oxygenation, perfusion and end organs, neuro baseline, likely infection sources, and devices that can fail quietly. When two answers feel partly right, pick the one that reduces imminent harm and matches orders for the role you were given. Train yourself to state the primary risk in one short phrase before you read the options so distractors do not rewrite your...