Does Estrogen Stimulate Follicle Growth?

The first day of menses is identified as cycle day one. Estrogen is at a low point. Therefore, the pituitary secretes FSH and LH, a process which actually begins before the onset of your menses. These hormones in turn stimulate the growth of several ovarian follicles, each containing one egg.

What stimulates growth of ovarian follicles?

Follicle stimulating hormone is one of the hormones essential to pubertal development and the function of women's ovaries and men's testes. In women, this hormone stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles in the ovary before the release of an egg from one follicle at ovulation.

What does estrogen do in the follicular phase?

Stage 1: Follicular phase = increasing estrogen

In the first part of the cycle—the follicular phase, from the start of your period until ovulation—estradiol is produced from sacs that contain your eggs, called follicles. Estradiol stimulates the growth and thickening of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) (6).