Reproduction Bonus Question #1
This optional bonus question is worth 10 activity points. In order to earn points, you must provide a thoughtful answer written in a paragraph, and must cite any sources you use properly. Do not type your answers in the comments box. You have 2 attempts, but only the last attempt will be graded; use the second attempt if you have problems with your first submission.
Complete your answer before 11:59 pm on APR 9 to earn the points.
Hormonal contraceptives can be cyclic or non-cyclic. Non-cyclic hormonal contraceptives provide a constant level of hormones everyday for months or years. Examples of non-cyclic hormonal contraceptives include the hormonal IUD (Mirena, Skyla or Lilletta brandnames), the hormonal implant (Norplant or Implanon), and the hormonal injection (Depo-Provera). Cyclic contraceptives provide hormones for about 3 weeks, then one week of no hormones. Examples of these include various types of birth control pills containing 3 weeks of hormonal pills then one week of placebo (sugar pills); and the vaginal ring (NuvaRing, which is kept in for 3 weeks then removed for one week.)
Many females using hormonal contraceptives in general tend to have lighter and shorter menstrual periods after a few months, but those using non-cyclic methods often do not have any menstruation at all. Why might this be? Write a paragraph describing a potential mechanism.
Reproduction Bonus Question #2
This optional bonus question is worth 10 activity points. In order to earn points, you must provide a thoughtful answer written in a paragraph, and must cite any sources you use properly. Do not type your answers in the comments box. You have 2 attempts, but only the last attempt will be graded; use the second attempt if you have problems with your first submission.
Complete your answer before 11:59 pm on APR 9 to earn the points.
All hormonal contraceptives in use today are used by females and not males, but the development of contraceptives that can be used by males is a very active area of physiology research. To complete this activity, you have two options:
1. Propose a design for a hormonal contraceptive in males. Describe how it would work to prevent fertilization of a female ovum, and what types of side effects it might have.
2. Research a male contraceptive that is being developed or researched. Describe the contraceptive being developed, how it works, and include a citation to a scientific journal article describing this research.
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