REPRODUCTION. 659 



is an indication that ovulatioii has come to an end, and that 

 the sexual life of the woman is completed. This time, the 

 climacteric or ' ' turn of life, " is a critical one ; various local 

 disorders are apt to supervene, and even mental derangement. 



Hygiene of Menstruation. During menstruation there is 

 apt to be more or less general discomfort and nervous irrita- 

 bility; the woman is not quite herself, and those responsible 

 for her happiness ought to watch and tend her with special 

 solicitude, forbearance, and tenderness, and protect her from 

 anxiety and agitation. Any strong emotion, especially of a 

 disagreeable character, is apt to check the flow, and this is 

 always liable to be followed by serious consequences. A sudden 

 chill often has the same eff ect ; hence a menstruating woman 

 ought always to be warmly clad, and take more than usual 

 care to avoid draughts or getting wet. At these periods, also, 

 the uterus is enlarged and heavy, and being (as may be seen 

 in Fig. 188) but slightly supported, and that near its lower 

 end, it is especially apt to be displaced or distorted; it may 

 tilt forwards or sideways (versions of the uterus], or be bent 

 where the neck and body of the organ meet (flexion). Hence 

 violent exercise at this time should be avoided, though there 

 is no reason why a properly clad woman should not take her 

 usual daily walk. 



The absence of the menstrual flow (amenorrhcea) is normal 

 during pregnancy and while suckling; and in some rare cases 

 it never occurs throughout life, even in healthy women capa- 

 ble of child-bearing. Usually, however, the non-appearance 

 of the menses at the proper periods is a serious symptom, and 

 one which calls for prompt measures. In all such cases it 

 cannot be too strongly impressed upon women that the most 

 dangerous thing to do is to take drugs tending to induce the 

 discharge, except under skilled advice; to excite the flow, in 

 many cases, as for example occlusion of the os uteri, or in 

 general debility (when its absence is a conservative effort of 

 the system), may have the most disastrous results. 



Fertilization. As the ovum descends the Fallopian tube 

 the changes of menstruation are taking place in the uterus. 

 Fertilization usually takes place in a Fallopian tube. The 

 spermatozoa are carried along partly, perhaps, by the contrac- 

 tions cf the muscular walls of the female cavities, but mainly 

 by thei~ own activity. Occasionally the ovum is fertilized 



