The egg then ventures into the pelvic cavity and what happens next will decide if conception will occur. If the egg is not picked up and drawn into the fallopian tubes no pregnancy will take place. The follicle that held the egg will collapse on itself becoming a corpus luteum. The presence of the corpus luteum is what constitutes the luteal phase of a women's cycle. It will remain behind after the release of the egg on the interior ovarian wall and will start to produce yet another hormone called progesterone.
Progesterone is responsible for three things.
If pregnancy does not take place the uterine lining - endometrium is shed which causes the cyclical bleeding from the uterus to occur which we all know as menstruation. The first day of menstruation is the first day of a monthly cycle and the whole process begins again. When Pregnancy Occurs When the egg enters the pelvic area it is swept into one of the fallopian tubes by fingerlike projections called fimbria. Sperm travels up the fallopian tube by way of cervical fluid. Fertilization occurs in the outer portion of the tube when the sperm penetrates the egg.