Chapter 3: Structure and Function of the Reproductive System
A nurse is discussing menstruation with a female client. The nurse describes a normal amount of blood loss is approximately:
25 to 60 mL
A sex education class is being conducted at a local women's center. The attendees ask the professional conducting the class about why they experience sensations of increased warmth during sex and redness of the neck and chest. Which information would the professional provide to explain this experience? Select all that appl
A person's heart rate increases during sex, making them warmer. The blood pressure will increase, which can cause a feeling of warmth. Vessels in the pelvis are receiving more blood and can cause a warm sensation.
A mother comes to the clinic nurse concerned about whether her adolescent daughter is sexually active. She requests a physical examination of the daughter's hymen. Which statement by the nurse accurately addresses this issue?
A torn hymen can result from heavy exertion or the use of tampons and is not a reliable method of determining virginity.
A client is at the clinic for her annual pelvic exam and asks the nurse about ovulation and where the eggs come from. What educational information would the nurse share with this client?
A woman is born with all the ova that she will ever have and they are stored within the ovaries. I
The nurse is examining a pregnant female in her third trimester and measuring to determine if fetal growth has increased. Where would the nurse place the measuring tape?
At the top of the fundus
A nurse is conducting an orientation at a health clinic for newly hired nurses comparing normal and abnormal assessment findings on a female physical assessment. The nurse determines the session is successful when they correctly point out which structure's secretions assist with sexual intercourse?
Bartholin's glands
The time in a woman's life when she loses the capability to reproduce is called menopause. Menopause does not occur all at once, but over a period of time that differs from woman to woman. There is, however, an average age when menopause occurs. What is this average age?
Between 47 and 55 years
The seminiferous tubules are tiny coils of tissue where spermatogenesis occurs. Where do the sperm mature?
Epididymis
A school nurse who is teaching a health course at the local high school is presenting information on human development and sexuality. When talking about the role of hormones in sexual development, which hormone does the nurse teach the class is the most important for developing and maintaining the female reproductive organs
Estrogen
The OB nursing instructor is talking with students about the sexual response cycle. As they are studying the content, they become aware that there are four phases in the sexual response cycle and identify them as which of the following? Select all that apply.
Excitement Climax Plateau Resolultion
A couple comes to the clinic asking questions regarding getting pregnant. The nurse explains that that fertilization normally occurs in what structure of the woman's body?
Fallopian tube
Which actions by a graduate nurse on the postpartum unit would require the nurse manager to intervene? Select all that apply
Graduate nurse questions how a lesbian couple could have a baby together. Graduate nurse speaks to the surrogate mother about the care of the newborn.
A nurse is providing education to a client with infertility concerns. Which statement by the client indicates appropriate understanding of the Spinnbarkeit Test?
Halfway in my cycle I will need to check my cervical mucus to see if I can stretch it in to long strands, indicating I am close to ovulating."
The client is reporting pain when the nurse begins the insertion of a urinary catheter. What measure can the nurse take to facilitate comfort for this client?
Identify the urethral meatus between the labia minora, avoiding the clitoris.
The nursing instructor is illustrating the various phases of the uterine cycle to a group of nursing students. The instructor determines the session is successful when the students correctly choose which action occuring during the secretory phase?
If fertilization does not occur, the corpus luteum degenerates and hormonal levels fall.
The nurse is reviewing the functions of the ovaries, uterus, clitoris, and vagina with a group of high school students. Which response by a high school student about the function of the clitoris would be accurate?
It is a small erectile structure that responds to sexual stimulation.
The nurse is preparing instruction about the menstrual cycle for adolescent patients. What will the nurse include about changes in the uterine endometrium during the second half of the cycle?
It is corkscrew-like because of progesterone stimulation.
What changes does the cervix undergo in preparation for childbirth? Select all that apply
It produces mucus to lubricate the vaginal canal. It protects the uterus from infection. It opens up to allow passage of the infant.
The vagina is at risk for infection because of its location and because it opens to the outside of the body. What is a protective mechanism of the vagina to keep it from becoming infected?
Normal vaginal pH is acidic (4 to 5), which protects from infection.
With sexual stimulation the penis becomes erect. What is the physiologic cause of an erection?
Penile sinuses fill up with blood.
The nurse is preparing an outline for a class on the physiology of the male sexual response. Which event would the nurse identify as occurring first?
Penile vasodilation
In taking a client history, a client tells the nurse she is having vaginal itching and irritation. Which reported practice could be contributory to this problem?
Previous history of taking clindamycin
The nurse is reviewing the functions of the ovaries, uterus, clitoris, and vagina with a group of nursing students. What would be the best response by a nursing student about the function of the uterus?
Receives the fertilized ovum and provides housing and nourishment for a fetus
A newly married female is talking to the nurse about her desire to get pregnant soon. Which suggestion would the nurse make to assist this client?
Sexual intercourse should occur between Day 13 and 15 of her menstrual cycle.
A client is at the clinic for her yearly physical and is found to be anemic. What information from her history would most likely be a contributory factor to this finding
She reports that her menstrual cycle is irregular and often lasts 7 to 10 days
An adolescent client asks the nurse about how the ovaries work. The nurse would include which information in her reply?
Storage of ova and maturation of them is one of the main functions of the ovaries.
Hormonal regulation of reproductive functions in both the male and the female are complicated processes. In the male, where are the sex hormones produced?
Testes
A client asks the nurse about how the testes function in reproduction. Which is the nurse's best reply?
The testes serve as the production center for sperm.
The nurse is reviewing the functions of the ovaries, uterus, clitoris, and vagina with a group of nursing students. What would be the best response by a nursing student about the function of the ovaries?
They produce female gametes or ova and secrete female sex hormones.
The nurse educates a client who is confused about her ovarian cycle. Which client statement would best validate her understanding of the education?
Two hormones control my ovulation, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)."
The nurse is reviewing the process of oocyte maturation and ovulation with a client. What occurs during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle that the nurse should include in the teaching session?
Under the influence of follicle-stimulating hormone, several follicles begin to ripen, and the ovum with each begins to mature.
The nurse is explaining the phases of the uterine cycle to a client. What action during the proliferative phase of the uterine cycle should the nurse include in the teaching session with the client?
While the ovarian follicles are producing increased amounts of estrogen, the endometrium prepares for possible fertilization with pronounced growth.
A student nurse is assigned to care for a woman who is being admitted for delivery of her baby. Where would the nurse expect to find the urethral meatus?
Within the vestibule
You care for a patient who has a retroverted uterus. You would explain that this means her:
entire uterus is tipped backward.
After teaching a health education class on the female reproductive cycle, the nurse determines that the teaching was effective when the group identifies which phase as belonging to the ovarian cycle?
follicular phase
An anatomy professor is teaching a class of pre-nursing students about the female reproductive system. One student asks, "Where is the opening to the vagina?" The best answer the professor can give is:
in what is called the vestibule, which is located between the labia minora
A nurse is conducting a routine well-check assessment on an 18-year-old female who is experiencing normal menstrual cycles. When the client questions the nurse concerning the menstrual process, the nurse can point out which hormone is primarily responsible for ovulation?
luteinizing hormone
The nurse is preparing to teach a client and her partner about the hormones involved in menstruation. Which hormone will the nurse point out is secreted by the corpus luteum?
progesterone
When describing the menstrual cycle to a group of young women, the nurse explains that estrogen levels are highest during which phase of the endometrial cycle?
proliferative
A nurse is teaching a sex education class and is discussing sexual response. She describes a 30-minute period during which external and internal genital organs return to an unaroused state. What is this phase of sexual response known as?
resolution
The nurse has been teaching a community class for couples planning a pregnancy and is illustrating the male reproductive system and function in this session. The nurse should point out which structure's secretions provide nourishment for the sperm during ejaculation?
seminal vesicles
A school nurse is talking to an adolescent, who asks her about why she has monthly menstrual cycles. The best explanation that the nurse can offer the adolescent regarding the menstrual phase is to tell her that:
the uterine lining is being shed due to lowering of hormone levels.