A Multi-Compartment Model of the Normal Menstrual Cycle: Integrating Hormonal, Ovarian, and Endometrial Elements

The uterine endometrium undergoes cyclical phases of cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and menstruation under the influence of the ovarian hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Since the data necessary to create a classical kinetic model of these signaling pathways is lacking, we used a Boolean network approach that includes the influences of various growth factors and the differential expression of their receptors under the influence of estrogen and progesterone. Results show a gain in endometrial tissue and loss of tissue during menstruation that mirrors what can be expected over the course of a normal menstrual cycle in women, where the endometrium typically reaches a thickness of approximately 10 mm. We utilized an existing model of the normal menstrual cycle that was used to predict hormonal changes following administration of GnRH analogues. We adapted this model to provide the hormonal and ovarian compartments that would interact with our model of the endometrial cycle