Chapter 28: Pregnancy and Human Development

The student should be able to:

1. Describe the process of fertilization, from the expulsion of sperm to the formation of
a zygote.
2. Name and briefly describe the steps and final product of the process of cleavage.
3. Describe the processes of implantation and placentation, and list placental functions.
4. Define gastrulation and organogenesis, list the three primary germ layers, and state
the major body structures that originate from each germ layer.
5. Describe the unique features of the fetal circulation and describe the major changes
that occur in the fetal circulation after birth.
6. Explain how labor is initiated.
7. Do the following Review Questions at the end of Chapter 28: 1 – 4, 7, 8, 10-12, 15 - 21,
and 23.

Key Terms:
pregnancy, conceptus, gestation period, embryo, fetus, fertilization, zygote, capacitation,
acrosomal reaction, monospermy, cortical reaction, blocks to polyspermy, female and male
pronuclei

cleavage, morula, blastocyst, trophoblast cells, inner cell mass, embryonic disc,
implantation, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), placenta, chorion, chorionic villi, lacunae
(intervillous spaces)

gastrula, amnion, amniotic fluid, yolk sac, gastrulation, primary germ layers, endoderm,
mesoderm, ectoderm, organogenesis, umbilical arteries and vein, ductus venosus, foramen
ovale, ductus arteriosus

relaxin

parturition (birth), labor, oxytocin, prostaglandins

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