Fertilization is the epic story of a

single sperm facing incredible odds

to unite with an egg

and form a new human life.

It is the story of all of us.

During sexual intercourse, about

300 million sperm enter the vagina.

Soon afterward, millions of them

will either flow out of the vagina,

or die in its acidic environment.

However, many survive because

of the protective elements

provided in the fluid surrounding them.

Next, the sperm must pass through the cervix,

an opening into the uterus.

Usually it remains tightly closed, but here

the cervix is open for a few days

while the woman ovulates.

The sperm swim through the cervical mucus,

which has thinned to a more watery

consistency for easier passage.

Once inside the cervix, the sperm continue

swimming toward the uterus,

though millions will die trying to make it through the mucus.

Some sperm remain behind,

caught in the folds of the cervix,

but they may later continue the journey

as a backup to the first group.

Inside the uterus,

muscular uterine contractions

assist the sperm on their

journey toward the egg.

However, resident cells

from the woman's immune system,

mistaking the sperm for foreign invaders,

destroy thousands more.

Next, half the sperm head

for the empty fallopian tube,

while the other half swim toward

the tube containing the unfertilized egg.

Now, only a few thousand remain.

Inside the fallopian tube, tiny cilia push

the egg toward the uterus.

To continue, the sperm must surge against

this motion to reach the egg.

Some sperm get trapped in the cilia and die.

During this part of the journey, chemicals

in the reproductive tract

cause the membranes covering the heads of the sperm to change.

As a result, the sperm become hyperactive,

swimming harder and faster toward their destination.

At long last, the sperm reach the egg.

Only a few dozen of the

original 300 million sperm remain.

The egg is covered with a layer of cells called

the corona radiata.

The sperm must push through this layer to

reach the outer layer of the egg,

the zona pellucida.

When sperm reach the zona pellucida, they

attach to specialized sperm receptors on the surface,

which triggers their acrosomes to

release digestive enzymes,

enabling the sperm to burrow into the layer.

Inside the zona pellucida is a narrow, fluid-filled

space just outside the egg cell membrane.

The first sperm to make contact will fertilize

the egg.

After a perilous journey and against incredible

odds, a single sperm attaches to the egg cell

membrane.

Within a few minutes, their outer membranes

fuse, and the egg pulls the sperm inside.

This event causes changes in the egg membrane

that prevent other sperm from attaching to

it.

Next, the egg releases chemicals that push

other sperm away from the egg and create an

impenetrable fertilization membrane.

As the reaction spreads outward, the zona

pellucida hardens, trapping any sperm unlucky

enough to be caught inside.

Outside the egg, sperm are no longer able

to attach to the zona pellucida.

Meanwhile, inside the egg, the tightly packed

male genetic material spreads out.

A new membrane forms around the genetic material,

creating the male pronucleus.

Inside, the genetic material reforms into

23 chromosomes.

The female genetic material, awakened by the

fusion of the sperm with the egg, finishes

dividing, resulting in the female pronucleus,

which also contains twenty-three chromosomes.

As the male and female pronuclei form,

spiderweb-like threads, called microtubules,

pull them toward each other.

The two sets of chromosomes join together,

completing the process of fertilization.

At this moment, a unique genetic code arises,

instantly determining gender, hair color,

eye color and hundreds of other characteristics.

This new single cell, the zygote, is the beginning

of a new human being.

And now the cilia in the fallopian tube gently

sweep the zygote toward the uterus

where he or she will implant in the rich uterine lining,

growing and maturing for the next nine months

until ready for birth.