3.

Fertilisation & End of 1st Week

Sunday, 20 October 2019 4:50 PM
 Very soon after arriving in the uterus, the
blastocyst becomes tightly adherent to the
uterine lining. Adjacent cells of the endometrial
stroma respond to its presence and to the
progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum by
differentiating into metabolically active,
secretory cells called decidual cells. This response
is called the decidual reaction . The endometrial
glands in the vicinity also enlarge, and the local
uterine wall becomes more highly vascularized
and edematous. It is thought that secretions of
the decidual cells and endometrial glands include
growth factors and metabolites that support
growth of the implanting embryo.
The uterine lining is maintained in a favorable
state and is kept from sloughing partly by the
progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum. In
the absence of an implanted embryo, the corpus
luteum normally degenerates after about
thirteen days. However, if an embryo implants,
cells of the trophoblast produce the hormone
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which
supports the corpus luteum and thus maintains
the supply of progesterone (maternal recognition
of pregnancy). The corpus luteum continues to
secrete sex steroids for eleven to twelve weeks
of embryonic development, after which the
placenta itself begins to secrete large amounts of
progesterone and the corpus luteum slowly
involutes, becoming a corpus albicans.

MedNotes (mednotes.in)