Conception and Fertilization

• Fertilization
• •The union of ovum and
• spermatozoa.
• • Fertilization occurs in the outer
• third of the fallopian tube – the
• ampullar portion.
• •other terms are conception,
• impregnation, or fecundation.
 Definition

• Fertilization is the process of fusion of the

spermatozoon with the mature ovum.

• It begins with sperm egg collision and ends with

production of a mononucleated single cell called the
zygote.

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• 1.Following ovulation, as the ovum is extruded
from
• the graafian follicle, it is surrounded by a ring of
• mucopolysaccharide fluid (zona pellucida) and a
• circle of cells (corona radiata). These structures
• increase the bulk of the ovum, facilitating it’s
• migration to the uterus.
• The ovum and surroundings cells are
propelled,
• into the fallopian tube by the fimbriae, the
fine, hairlike
• structures that line the openings of the
fallopian
• tubes.
• Only one ovum reaches maturity a month, a normal
• ejaculation of semen averages 2.5 ml of fluid containing 50 to
• 200 million spermatozoa per ml. or averages of 300-400
• million per ejaculation. To promote the possibility of a sperm
• reaching the ovum, there is a reduction in the viscosity of
• cervical mucus at the time of ovulation.
Spermatozoa deposited in the vagina reaches
the
cervix of uterus within 90 seconds after
deposition ant
the outer end of the fallopian tube in 5 minutes.
The
functional life of spermatozoa is 48 hours.
• Spermatozoa move by means of their flagella
• (tails) and uterine contraction through the
cervix, the
• body of uterus toward the waiting ovum. All
the
• spermatozoa that reaches the ovum cluster
around
• the ovum’s protective layer of corona cells
• 6. Hyaluronidase (a proteolytic enzyme) is
released
• by the spermatozoa which acts to dissolve the
layer
• of cells protecting the ovum.
• Only one spermatozoa is able to penetrate the
cell
• membrane of the ovum. After it has done, cell
membrane
• becomes impervious to other spermatozoa
• After penetration, the chromosomal
• material of the ovum and spermatozoa fuse
• and the structure is called zygote

Sperm (23)
GAMETOGENESIS
Male Female

Spermatozoon Ovum

Maturation process

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 GAMETOGENESIS
Cont...
• Both mitosis and meiosis play a role in
gametogenesis.

• Mitosis provides the precursor cells.

• Meiosis brings about the reduction
divisions that result in gametes.

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 GAMETOGENESIS
OOGENESIS

Cont...
GAMETOGENESIS

Oogenesis Spermatogenesis

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1
Oogenesi
OOGENESIS

The process involved in the development of a mature ovum is called

oogenesis.
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 Fully matured ovum

Fully mature ovum :

largest cell in the body,
130 micron in diameter.
Cytoplasm
23 chromosomes(23 x)
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Anatomyof Ova
 Spermatogenesis 61 days

Primary spermatocytes
16 days.

The process involved in the development of spermatids

from the primordial male germ cells and their
differentiation into spermatozoa is called spermatogenesis.
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Structure of a mature spermatozoon
• It has got two parts, a head
and a tail.
• The head
 Condensed nucleus and
acrosomal cap.
 Acrosome is rich in
enzymes.

• The tail divided into four

zones — the neck, the
middle piece, the principal
piece and the end piece.

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• It has got two parts, a head
• and a tail
• The head:
• - Condensed nucleus and
• acrosomal cap.
• - Acrosome is rich in enzymes.
• The tail:
• - Divided into four zones (the
• neck, the middle piece, the
• principle piece and the end
• piece.
Anatomy of Sperm
Difference between spermatogenesis and
oogenesis.
Spermatogenesis differs from oogenesis in three
ways

1. All four products of meiosis develop into sperm while

only one of the four becomes an egg.
2. Spermatogenesis occurs throughout adolescence and
adulthood.
3. Sperm are produced continuously without the prolonged
interruptions like in oogenesis.
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 FERTILIZATION Cont...
Normal site for conception/ Fertilization

Almost always, fertilization occurs in the

ampullary part of the uterine tube.
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 APPROXIMATION OF THE GAMETES
• Fertilizable life span of oocyte is 12 to 24
hours and sperm is 48 to 72 hours.

• Out of hundreds of millions of sperms

deposited in the vagina at single ejaculation,
only thousands capacitated spermatozoa enter
the uterine tube while only 300–500 reach the
ovum.

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 APPROXIMATION OF THE GAMETES

Tubal transport is
facilitated by muscular
contraction and
aspiration action of the
uterine tube.

It takes only few minutes for the sperm to reach

the Fallopian tube
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 STAGES OR PROCESS OF FERTILIZATION
I. PREPRATION / CHANGES IN SPERM BEFORE
FERTILIZATION
• CAPACITATION
• ACROSOME REACTION
II. ACTUAL PROCESS/FERTLIZATION EVENTS
PENETARTION OF CORONA RADIATA
PENETARTION OF ZONA PELLUCIDA
FUSION OF OOCYTE AND SPERM CELL
MEMBRANE AND FORMATION OF PRONUCLEUS
Capacitation
Sperm undergo capacitation (further
maturation) within the female reproductive
tract.
occurs in the female’s vagina.
Vaginal secretions cause a molecular change
in the sperm plasmalemma (removal of
decapacitating factor - semen proteins, results
in increased membrane fluidity,).
Takes 4-5 hr in humans
• The process of undertaking in the sperm
• when inside the female genital tract
• influenced by the secretion of the uterine tube
• is know as capacitation.
• Sperm must be in the female genital tract
• 4-6 hours before they can fertilize an ovum.
• The sperm undergoes changes in the removal
• of the glycoprotein coat.
 ACROSOME REACTION
• When the acrosome reaction occurs, a number
• of proteolytic enzymes are exposed or released.
• One or more of these enzymes is responsible
• for digesting the hole through the zona pellucida
• through which the sperm enters the perivitelline
• space.
The acrosomal layer of the sperm becom
reactive and release the enzyme
hyaluronidase known as the acrosome
reaction.
It disperses the corona radiate (outer layer
of ovum) allowing access to the zona
pellucida.