Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ovum is
Ampulla
ripening inside
.
follicle
Fimbria Maturing
follicles
Ovary
Cervix… a mucous
plug forms in this
Uterus area during
(womb) pregnancy
Vagina
Egg maturation and ovulation is stimulated by two hormones secreted by the
pituitary gland- follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
Approximately every 28 days, at the start of a cycle, these hormones cause
several follicles to start growing. Of these, only one matures to form a large fluid-
filled structure that contains a ripening egg. When the egg matures it is released
from the follicle when the follicle ruptures…in a process called ovulation. This
occurs on about the 14th day of the cycle.
The egg contains 23 chromosomes…the mother’s genetic material.
The egg, or ovum, slowly travels through
the fallopian tube, and if sperm are present
at that location, one may unite with the
ovum in a process called fertilization. Only
one sperm can enter the egg’s outer
membrane. The moment the sperm
penetrates the egg is called conception,
creating a new and separate cell called the
Zygote.
The penetrating sperm loses it’s tail, the
head dissolves, and out spills it’s genetic
material…23 chromosomes.
The fertilized egg now has 23
PAIR, or 46 chromosomes.
Immediately the cell begins to
duplicate, taking approximately
30 hours to complete the first cell
division.
During this first trimester period of THIS IS THE END OF THE FIRST
“formation”, many things can go wrong. TRIMESTER, WHEN THE MAIN TASK
Sometimes the woman’s body will self- WAS FORMATION!
abort. This is called a miscarriage.
Umbilical cord
Amniotic sac
filled with Mucous
amniotic fluid Plug
Caution!... besides oxygen and nutrients, the cord delivers nicotine, alcohol,
drug compounds, and other things ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through
the skin of the mother.
Nutrition is extremely important during pregnancy. Eating a well-balanced
diet can prevent birth defects in the fetus, low-birth weight/mortality of the
infant, a difficult labor/delivery, and mortality of the mother during
childbirth. The fetus is creating new bones, blood cells, tissue, etc. If it
does not receive the nutrients it needs through mother’s diet…it will get it
by taking it out of mother’s own system, i.e. robbing calcium from the
mother’s bones to build it’s own bones. If deficiencies exist, problems
may show up right away or years later.
At some point later, a white waxy, cheese-like substance also forms over the
entire surface of the skin. This is called vernix caseosa. The vernix is a perfect
skin lotion, which along with the lanugo, protects he skin from the constant
exposure to amniotic fluid. It is also believed that it serves as a sort of skin
cleanser and antibacterial substance. The lanugo and vernix caseosa diminishes
in amount during the last weeks of the gestation period and usually rubs off
during delivery. The presence of a great deal of vernix or lanugo at the time of
birth, therefore, is often a sign of prematurity.
The fetus also shows a sensitivity to light
During the 5 month, at 22
th
and can be stimulated and irritated.
weeks, the fetus weighs a little However, it still has a long way to go
over 1 pound, and is about 1 before it is mature enough to survive
foot in length. At this time, the outside of the womb.
movements can clearly be felt Although there are a few cases of infants
by the mother and by others being born and surviving at this time, the
who place their hands over the chance of survival (and without later
mother's abdomen. complications), is very slim.
During the 4th-6th months,
most of the organs that were
formed during the first
trimester begin to function. If
born at this time, the fetus has
a chance survival. The point
in which it can first survive is
referred to as the age of being
viable and occurs sometime
between 22 and 26 weeks.