Dr.S.

Manickam,BAMS, MSc, PhD

Assistant Professor of Anatomy,
Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute,
Chennai.
 Definition of गर्भ
• शक्र
ु – Semen (or) Male gamete
• शोणितं – Menstrual fluid (or) Female gamete

• शक्र
ु शोणितं गर्भभशभयस्तम ् आत्मप्रकृततविकभर
समुर्च्छभ तं गर्भ इतत उ्यते।

आत्म-प्रकृतत-विकभर समुर्च्छभ तं - Unique concept of

ayurveda

गर्भ – Refers to the implanted zygote (1 week after

fertilization)
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 गर्भ सम्र्ि सभमग्री
• ऋतु –Age & Menstrual cycle (Fertile period)
– Male above 20
– Female above 16
– Ayurveda: Fertile period – 4th -12th days of menstrual
cycle (11th day is inauspicious)
– Modern: 12th -16th day of menstrual cycle
• ऺेत्र – Uterus (Hormonal factors)
• अम्बु – Nutritional factors
• बीज – Physiological normalcy of Gametes &
Genetic factors
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 षट् िवृ िकर र्भि
• Six factors responsible for embryonic
development
• मभतज ृ – Materal factors (Genetic &
mitochondrial)
• वऩतज ृ – Paternal factors
• आत्मज - Soul
• सभत्म्यज
• रसज – Nutritional factors
• सत्िज – Psychic factors

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 Ayurvedic concept of sex
determination
• शक्र
ु स्य बभहुल्यभत ् ऩम
ु भन ् – Presence of Y chromosome – Male
progeny
• रक्तस्य बभहुल्यभत ् स्री – Absence of Y chromosome & Presence of X
chromosome – Female progeny
• सभम्ये क्ऱीब् – Equal dominance of X and Y – Eunuch
• Ex: Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) – Male sterile and testicular
atrophy

• बीजर्भग् – Especially Sex Chromosomes

• Similarly,
• Turner syndrome (45,X) – Female with absence of ovary
• Triple X syndrome (47, XXX)

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 Modern explanation
• Male genotype – XY
• Female genotype – XX
• In females, one X
chromosome is inactivated
during embryogenesis and
remain as Barr body in the
nucleus.
• By this expression of genes
between different sexes are
equalized - Dosage
compensation

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 Ayurvedic concept of sex
determination
• Sexual intercourse on 4th, 6th, 8th,10th and 12th day –
Male progeny
• Similarly on odd number days – Female progeny

• ऩुंसिन क्रीयभ – Drops in the right nostril – Male; left

nostril – Female
• Shettles Method of sex selection - Your Baby’s Sex:
Now You Can Choose (1970)
• Cannot be satisfactorily explained

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 Length of pregnancy
• Ayurveda – Upto one year

• Duration of pregnancy: 266 days or 38 weeks after fertilization

• Oocyte is usually fertilized within 12 hours of ovulation
• Sperm can survive upto 6 days in the female reproductive tract

• Obstetrician calculates date of birth as 280 days or 40 weeks from

the first day of LMP

• Most fetuses are born within 10 to 14 days of calculated delivery

date.
• Earlier – Premature
• Later - Postmature

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 मभसभनम
ु भससक िि
ृ ी
Month Ayurveda Modern
1 कऱऱम ् (Jelly like plate) Embryo has somites and
pharyngeal arches
Second month: Folding of embryo
संघभतो घन:
वऩण्ड् (spherical mass)/
ऩेशी (elongated) /
अर्दुभ म ् (tumor like)
2 Third month: Head size increases
हस्तऩभद सशरसभ Formation of limb buds, face,
ऩंचवऩंडकभ ears, nose and eyes
सूक्ष्म अंगप्रत्यंगविर्भग Nipple and eyelids are formed
सिेन्द्रीयभणि (च) Taste bud appears
Tail disappears
Fourth month: 5½ - 6 weeks – Heart beat can
गर्भहृदय प्रव्यक्ती र्भि be detected
चेतनभधभतु असर्व्यर्चक्त
6 weeks
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 मभसभनम
ु भससक िि
ृ ी
Month Ayurveda Modern
3 Fourth Face become more human like
month: Swallowing
प्रव्यक्त Primary ossification centres in long and
सिभांगप्रत्यंगवि skull bones
र्भग् Sex can be determined by external
गर्भ् examination (USG)
र्चस्िरत्िमभऩ Intestinal loops are withdrawn into the
द्यते (च) abdominal cavity 11 weeks
Can evoke reflex activity - Muscular
activity
4 Fetus lengthen rapidly
Covered by fine hair – Lanugo hair
Eye brows and head hair – visible
Respiratory movements

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 मभसभनम
ु भससक िि
ृ ी
M Ayurveda Modern
on
th
5 मन् प्रततबुितरं Movements of fetus can be felt
(mind attains
maturity)
मभंसशोणितोऩचयो
र्ितत (च)
6 बुवि् Skin reddish & wrinkled (Absence
अधधक बऱििोऩचयो of connective tissue)
र्ितत (च) Sucking movements
Born – Difficult to survive
Respiratory and CNS are not
differentiated sufficiently and
Eighth month: less coordination between these
ओज् अर्चस्िरर र्ितत two systems
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6 months 11
 मभसभनम
ु भससक िि
ृ ी
Month Ayurveda Modern
7 सिभांग प्रत्यंगविर्भग् Sound can be heard
प्रव्यक्ततर् Eyes sensitive to light
जीिन शर्चक्त् Born – 90% chance of survival
(Garbhopanishad)
8 ओज् अर्चस्िरर र्ितत Well rounded contour –
ओज् सञ्चरि अिस्िभ Subcutaenous fat
(च) 8 months
9 निमदशमैकभदशद्िभदशभ Skin covered by Vernix
नभम अन्द्यतमे जभयते caseosa (products from
sebaceous glands)
Sexual characteristics are
pronounced
Testes descend to scrotum
9 months

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Birth defects (or) Congenital malformations
(or) Congenital anomaly
• Teratology
• 3- 8 weeks of development - Vulnerable
• Major organ and organ systems are formed
• Period of organogenesis or embryogenesis
• Most gross structural birth defects are induced

• Mother may not be aware of pregnancy especially between

3rd and 4th weeks.

• Environmental factors – Infection, Radiation, Drugs,

Hormones, maternal disease, nutritional deficiency
• Advanced paternal age – Structural birth defects, Down’s
syndrome and autosomal dominant mutations
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 गर्भ उऩघभतकर र्भि
• तीऺि औषध, व्यिभय, व्यभयभम
• Desires of दौहृददतन are not fulfilled - leads to
deformities
• कुब्ज (Hunched back) , खञ्ज (deformed arm),
जड (mental retardation), िभमन (dwarf),
विकृतभऺ (Eye defects) and अनऺ (without
eyes)

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 Birth defects - Types
• Malformations – Occurs
during formation process (3-8
weeks)
• Disruption – Alteration of
formed structures by
destructive processes
• Deformations – Mechanical
forces molding a part
• Syndrome – Group of
anomalies having a common
cause
• Association – Nonrandom
appearance of 2 or more
anomalies together. Ex:
VACTERL association
Malformation – Caudal
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dysgenesis 15
 Birth defects
Disruption Deformation

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 Birth Defects
Turner Syndrome Drug induced - Phocomelia

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 Ayurvedic genetics (अिि
ु ंसशक ससिभन्द्त)

• बीज इतत शक्र

ु शोणिते (चक्रऩभणि)
– Male and female gametes (Sperm & ovum)
• बीजस्य अंगप्रत्यंग तनिभतक
भ ् र्भग् बीजर्भग्
(चक्रऩभणि)
– Portion of gamete giving rise to different body parts
(Chromosomes)
• बीजर्भग अियि - अियि आरम्र्क बीजर्भग
(गङ्गभधर)
• Subtle stage of बीजर्भग carrying hereditary
characters (Genes)
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 अिि
ु ंसशक ससिभन्द्त
बीज दोष स्त्री विकृत पुरुष विकृत
बीजर्भग् िन्द््य (Sterility) िन्द््य
बीजर्भग अियि ऩूततप्रजभ (Still born) ऩूततप्रज
बीजर्भग् & बीजर्भग अियि िभतभभ (Female external तिृ ऩुत्रत्रक(Male external
features but not a features but not a male)
female)

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