A: Baby Making 101
by Bridgett Torrence
Quick! How does pregnancy happen?
An egg is released from an ovary;
The egg is fertilized in a fallopian tube, becoming an embryo;
The embryo is implanted in the uterus.
Where do my eggs come from?
A woman is born with a lifetime supply of eggs. The eggs are stored in her ovaries, two small, egg-shaped organs located inside the abdomen. When a woman reaches puberty, the eggs begin maturing at a rate of about one per month. The mature egg, called an ovum , is released into one of the two fallopian tubes that lead to the uterus. This process is called ovulation .
How do I know when my egg is ready to be fertilized?
To determine their fertile time, many women keep track of ovulation by charting their cycles. Charting can be as simple as noting the first day of your period. Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks before your period arrives. Women trying to conceive or who practice the Natural Family Planning method of birth control often use methods that are more elaborate; charting body temperature and other physical changes associated with ovulation. Charting is important because the mature egg must be fertilized within 24 hours of ovulation or it will not develop.
What is a cycle?
A woman's fertility cycle is comprised of two parts, the ovarian and menstrual cycles. Both cycles work together and last an average of 28 days. The ovarian cycle refers to the maturation and release of eggs from the ovaries. The menstrual cycle refers to the thickening of the uterine lining and, when pregnancy does not occur, the bleeding and shedding of that lining, which then passes through the vagina. This is known as the menstrual period . Hormones control both cycles.
How is the egg fertilized?
When a man and woman have sexual intercourse, the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and deposits fluid called semen . The semen contains several hundred million sperm, the cells that fertilize the egg. The sperm must swim up the stretchy tube of the vagina and find their way to the opening of the uterus, called the cervix. During ovulation, the layer of mucus that usually protects the cervix thins out to allow sperm to pass through. Many sperm get lost in the vagina or are unable to make their way through the cervix. Those that do pass through the cervix find themselves in the uterus, a muscular organ about the size of a small fist. This is also known as the womb , the place where a baby grows. From the uterus, the sperm must travel up the fallopian tubes in search of an egg. By now, only the strongest sperm are left. The sperm can live in the fallopian tube for up to 72 hours, increasing their change of meeting an egg. When an egg is found, the sperm must penetrate the egg's outer wall. Only one will succeed. When a sperm has successfully entered the egg, fertilization occurs and the egg becomes an embryo.
What happens to the fertilized egg?
The fertilized egg, or embryo, travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus where it burrows into the uterine lining. This is called implantation . The time between fertilization and implantation is approximately six days. After implantation, the body begins producing a special pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) that can be detected by a home pregnancy test.
When will I know if I'm pregnant?
A missed period is usually the first indication of pregnancy. A home pregnancy test can be used to confirm this. Pregnancy tests taken earlier might not be accurate, as the level of the HCG pregnancy hormone may be too low to detect.
My pregnancy test was positive, but then I got my period. What's going on?
About 20 percent of women experience light bleeding while pregnant. This usually occurs during implantation or during the time one would normally have their menstrual period. A second pregnancy test or a trip to the doctor can confirm the pregnancy. If the bleeding is as heavy as a normal period, however, you may have experienced a spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. Miscarriages are thought to occur in 20 percent of all confirmed pregnancies, often during the first eight weeks. Many women who miscarry during the first three weeks never realize they are pregnant because their period is on time or only a few days late. Early miscarriage usually occurs because the embryo (baby) is not developing properly. If you suspect you have had a miscarriage, contact your doctor or midwife.
2006-07-24 21:23:45
·
answer #1
·
answered by leathersammie 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
marriage doesnt make babies, sex does and you dont have to be married to have sex, not every sex act will make a baby, however when one is concieved it grows slowly in the mothers womb which is in the lower abdomen, and it will be fully formed in nine months, then it starts to move down the birth canal and that creates contractions of the various organs in the path of the baby, each contraction helps it move very slowly down the canal to the opening of the vagina, where it exits, usually head first, when it hits the air and is born it takes its first breath . while its in the womb it gets all its food and oxygen through the mothers body.through a special organ called the placenta. it is attatched to the placenta by the umbilical cord, and when that cord is cut off after birth and tied off, it creates the navel or what is often called the belly button.
2006-07-24 21:23:28
·
answer #2
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋