Before a zygote is received in the uterus, the uterus wall becomes thick with a lining of soft and spongy tissue full of blood vessels. This is to receive the zygote. If the fertilisation does not take place, the ovum along with lining and the blood vessels along the uterus wall shed off. This results in bleeding in women which continues for 2 or 3 days. This is known as menstruation.