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8.5 Parturition & Lactation — Test 1
Q1. Lactational amenorrhea is best described as:✓ Temporary postnatal infertility during breastfeeding
Q2. Parturition (the process of birth) is triggered by a hormonal cascade involving a rise in:✓ Oxytocin and a fall in the progesterone:oestrogen ratio
Q3. Oxytocin promotes labour by:✓ Stimulating powerful contractions of the uterine smooth muscle
Q4. The positive-feedback loop in labour (the Ferguson reflex) works because:✓ Cervical stretching triggers oxytocin, which causes stronger contractions
Q5. Prostaglandins contribute to parturition by:✓ Promoting uterine contractions and cervical ripening
Q6. Colostrum, the first secretion of the mammary gland after birth, is rich in:✓ Antibodies (especially IgA) and nutrients
Q7. Milk ejection (the 'let-down' reflex) is caused by:✓ Oxytocin contracting myoepithelial cells around the alveoli
Q8. Milk synthesis (lactogenesis) is primarily stimulated by:✓ Prolactin
Q9. During pregnancy, high oestrogen and progesterone prepare the breast but prevent milk secretion until:✓ After delivery, when their levels fall
Q10. The suckling reflex maintains lactation because suckling stimulates the release of:✓ Prolactin (for milk synthesis) and oxytocin (for ejection)
Q11. The three stages of human labour are:✓ Dilation, expulsion (delivery) and placental (afterbirth)
Q12. The first stage of labour involves:✓ Cervical dilation and effacement
Q13. The placenta is normally delivered in which stage of labour?✓ The third (placental) stage
Q14. Relaxin, a hormone of pregnancy, helps prepare for birth by:✓ Softening the cervix and relaxing the pelvic ligaments
Q15. Breast milk is considered ideal nutrition for infants partly because it:✓ Provides balanced nutrients plus antibodies and immune factors
Q16. Mastitis is:✓ Inflammation of the breast tissue, often during lactation
Q17. The fall in progesterone near term is important for labour because progesterone normally:✓ Keeps the uterus quiet, so its withdrawal allows contractions
Q18. Galactopoiesis refers to:✓ The maintenance of established milk production
Q19. Weaning leads to a decline in milk production because:✓ Reduced suckling lowers prolactin and oxytocin release
Q20. Overall, parturition and lactation are coordinated by:✓ A hormonal interplay of oxytocin, prostaglandins, prolactin and steroid changes