Hormones in Humans: Reproduction & Metabolism Practice Questions

Name the main male reproductive hormone and the organ that produces it.

Give the role of this hormone in the male reproductive system.

Describe two secondary sex characteristics that develop in females at puberty.

Complete the table by giving the missing information A, B and C.

Name the process in which an egg is released from the ovary, and state approximately how often this happens.

Name the gland that produces this hormone.

Give two effects of this hormone on the student's body.

Explain how the effects you gave in part (b) help the student to run faster.

Name the gland that produces thyroxine and give one role of thyroxine in the body.

Arrow X shows that thyroxine inhibits the release of TSH from the pituitary gland.

Explain how this keeps the concentration of thyroxine in the blood close to the normal level.

A man has a thyroid gland that produces too much thyroxine.

Suggest two effects this may have on his body.

The woman is offered an oral contraceptive that contains oestrogen and progesterone.

Describe how this oral contraceptive prevents pregnancy.

The woman is also offered an implant that slowly releases progesterone.

Suggest two reasons why the implant may be more suitable for her than the oral contraceptive.

The nurse advises the woman to use condoms as well as the implant.

Give one reason for this advice.

Some couples choose to abstain from intercourse when an egg may be in the oviduct, instead of using hormonal contraception.

Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of this method.

Complete the table by giving the missing information A and B.

Give one advantage of using a diaphragm rather than an oral contraceptive.

A couple in their forties have three children and do not want any more children.

Suggest two reasons why they may choose surgical sterilisation rather than a hormonal method of contraception.

Explain why a lack of FSH means the woman cannot become pregnant naturally.

The woman is given a 'fertility drug' containing FSH and LH.

Explain the role of each hormone in this treatment.

The couple are later offered IVF treatment.

The statements below describe four stages of IVF, but they are in the wrong order.

A The eggs are fertilised by the father's sperm in the laboratory.

B One or two embryos are inserted into the mother's uterus.

C The mother is given FSH and LH to stimulate the maturation of several eggs.

D The fertilised eggs develop into embryos (tiny balls of cells).

Write the letters in the correct order.

Give one reason why doctors usually insert only one or two embryos into the uterus.

On which day of the cycle is ovulation most likely to have happened?

Use data from the table to explain your answer.

Calculate the percentage increase in the concentration of oestrogen between day 5 and day 12.

Use the data in the table to describe the relationship between the concentration of oestrogen and the concentration of LH between day 5 and day 13.

Explain why the concentration of FSH is low between day 16 and day 21.

Explain why the high concentration of progesterone prevents any more eggs from maturing and being released during pregnancy.

Explain why it is important that the concentration of progesterone stays high during pregnancy.

In a cycle where the egg is not fertilised, the concentration of progesterone falls towards the end of the cycle.

Explain what happens as a result of this fall in progesterone.

Calculate the percentage of IVF cycles that resulted in a live birth for women aged 38 to 39 years.

The percentage success rates for the other age groups were 32% (under 35), 26% (35 to 37) and 11% (40 to 42).

What do these data show about the effect of the woman's age on the success of IVF? Use data in your answer.

Some people think that IVF treatment should not be paid for by a country's health service.

Evaluate the use of IVF treatment for couples who cannot have children naturally.