How does fertilization occur?
common.months_ago
The speaker discusses the process of how pregnancy occurs and develops. Initially, during intercourse aimed at conception, sperm travels through the uterus into the fallopian tube, where it may meet an egg that has been released from the ovary. Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube, resulting in a fertilized egg. This embryo progresses through stages of development, from a fertilized egg to an embryo, then to a blastocyst by day five, which has distinct parts that will develop into the baby and the placenta. The blastocyst implants into the uterus, developing into a fetus and eventually a baby. The speaker notes that understanding these processes is fundamental to the various tests and treatments they perform in reproductive medicine.
fallopian tube: A pair of tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus.
ovary: An organ in the female reproductive system where ova or eggs are produced.
blastocyst: A structure formed in the early development of mammals. It possesses an inner cell mass that subsequently forms the embryo.
placenta: An organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy, providing oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby and removing waste products.
fetus: An unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular an unborn human being more than eight weeks after conception.