5

Module 2

Science and Health

Fertilization

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A DepEd-BEAM Distance Learning Program supported - the Australian Agency for International Development
 To the Learner

We were once a baby. A new baby brings joy to the family.

However, have you thought of how a baby came into life?
When you finish this lesson, you will be able to know the process
of fertilization.

Let’s Learn This

Explain the process of fertilization in humans.

Let’s Try This

1. Study the series of diagrams showing the movement of an egg cell

and the sperm cells in the female reproductive system.

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2. Record your observations in a table like this.

Stage What does it tell?

A
B
C

Let’s Study This

A new life begins when a sperm cell unites with an egg. This
union is called fertilization. An egg is usually fertilized in the fallopian
tube and implanted in the uterus. The fertilized egg is called the
zygote. In the uterus, the egg undergoes development for nine
months until the birth of the baby. This period of time is called
pregnancy.
During the first two months of pregnancy, the unborn child is
called an embryo. A protective membrane called the amniotic sac
surround this embryo. This sac is filled with a clear fluid called the
amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid protects the embryo against harm.
It also keeps the embryo moist.
The embryo is connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord.
The placenta allows the exchange of materials for life and wastes
between the mother and the embryo.
At five weeks the embryo is only as big as a grain of rice.
However, he/she has a head with recognizable eye, nose and mouth
features. During the sixth and seventh week, he/she develops tiny
arms and legs with fingers and toes.
After the first two months of pregnancy he/she is called the fetus.
Body organs are present. Around the third month, the fetus is 8-10
centimeters long. His/her heart can be heard beating. His/her mother
may feel his/her movement within her uterus. By the end of the
seventh month of pregnancy, the fetus is 30 to 38 centimeters long.
The fetus appears less wrinkled as fatty tissues build up under his/her
skin. By the ninth month, the fetus usually has shifted to a head-down
position within the uterus. The head usually is in contact with the
opening of the uterus to the vagina. The fetus is about 50 centimeters
long and weighs from 2.5 to 3.5 kg. The baby is ready for birth.

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Study the pictures. Point out the following changes in the embryo
while inside a mother’s womb or uterus.

When a sperm cell, the male sex cell, joins with an egg, the female sex
cell. The egg becomes fertilized. The fertilized egg develops into
billions of cells that form an embryo, which is the name given to a baby
during its first few months of development in the mother’s body. Later
the developing infant is called fetus. It takes about nine months for a
child to be born. This nine-month period is known as pregnancy or the
gestation period.

¾ The embryo is about 2 mm long after five weeks.

¾ The head, chest, and stomach begin to form. The heart starts to
develop. The arms and legs appear as buds during the six-week
period. The embryo is about 1 cm long.
¾ The heart begins to beat after seven weeks.
¾ All other internal organs such as lung, liver, kidneys develop after
several weeks.
¾ A fetus has complete body parts but is not yet fully mature after
13 weeks.
¾ A fetus about 50 cm long is ready to be delivered at the
completion of nine months.

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 Let’s Do This

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words found in the box

amniotic sac umbilical cord placenta fallopian tube

pregnancy amniotic fluid uterus

After the egg is released from the ovary it goes down the
1.___________________ where fertilization usually takes place. Then the
fertilized egg moves down to the 2._______________ where it undergoes
development for nine months. This period of development is called
3.___________________.
The developing embryo is surrounded by a protective membrane
called the 4.______________________ and a clear fluid called the
5.____________________.
Needed materials and wastes are exchanged between the embryo
and the mother through the 6._________________

Let’s Do More

Arrange the following events in a fetus life by writing the number

1-4 on the blank.

____________________ The fetus has developed a body, complete head

____________________ The fertilized egg develops into an embryo
____________________ The embryo develops into a fetus
____________________ The sperm and egg cells unite

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 Let’s Remember This

¾ Fertilization is the process whereby a sperm unites with an

egg to produce an embryo.
¾ A fertilized egg develops into an embryo from the first to
the third month then into a fetus from the fourth month
until its birth.

Let’s Test Ourselves

1. What happens when fertilization takes place?

a. The sperm dies
b. The uterus lining breaks and flows out
c. The egg dies
d. The egg and sperm unite
2. Where does fertilization of the egg occur?
a. uterus c. cervix
b. fallopian tube d. ovaries
3. How long does it take before a normal baby is born?
a. 3 months c. 9 months
b. 5 months d. 12 months
4. How is the developing fetus fed and nourished?
a. through the ovaries
b. through the fallopian tube
c. through the placenta
d. through the walls of the uterus

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5. Which of the following shows the proper sequence of a developing
fertilized embryo?

a. embryo – zygote – fetus

b. fetus – embryo – zygote
c. zygote – embryo – fetus
d. zygote – fetus – embryo

Science Fact File

Abnormalities in the fetus can be detected through a medical
procedure called amniocentesis. It is done during the last three
months of pregnancy to determine whether the fetus develops
normally.
Amniocentesis helps determine if there is any abnormality in an
unborn baby. A small amount of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the
fetus in the mother’s uterus is taken from the womb and studied. A
physician performs amniocentesis with the aid of ultrasound.
With this procedure, physicians can accurately diagnose more
than 150 serious disorders that may affect the fetus. Such disorders
include Down Syndrome and Tray-Sachs disease. The physician can
then immediately treat the fetus for certain diseases right after birth.

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 Answer Key

Let’s Try This

A. Each month, a mature egg cell leaves the ovary and finds its
way into the fallopian tube.
B. The sperm cells swimming up the fallopian tube where the
egg cell awaits.
C. A sperm cell unites with the egg cell in the fallopian tube.

Let’s Do This
1. fallopian 4. amniotic sac
2. uterus 5. amniotic fluid
3. pregnancy 6. placenta

Let’s Do More
4
2
3
1

Let’s Test Ourselves

1. d
2. b
3. c
4. c
5. c

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