The Miracle of Life Notes DNAchromosomesgenes Woman each ovary has quarter of a million of eggseach has 23 chromosomes ovulation

at middle of cyclefollicle swells and then bursts hormones stimulate follicle bursting egg travels toward uterusthis is when woman is most fertilefallopian tube is only twice the thickness of a single human hair three to four days to travel 5 inches thru fallopian tube the egg must be fertilized within 24 hours of leaving ovary in order to get pregnant Man men create billions of sperm semen ejaculationepididymisvas deferensseminal vesicles release fluid to create semen urethra urethra is 7-8 inches long bladder is blocked off from urethra during ejaculation prostate gland is size of golf ball testicles are outside body to control temp of spermneed to be several degrees below body temp 400 billion sperm 2-300 million at a time are released in ejaculation SEX as semen enters womans body, it coagulatesbecomes thicker so the sperm will stay in the vagina 1/4 of them die immediately 20 minutes after ejaculation, sperm become fluid again sperm are able to fertilize for 24-48hours barriers are numerous: defective sperm, acid environment of vagina, womens own defense system attack sperm they try to fertilize anything round, sometimes just a body cell cervix secretes nusom during ovulation to make sperms journey easier cilia in fallopian tube create a current for egg toward uterus so sperm must swim against it sperm is trying to meet the egg in fallopian tube only 50 sperm reach the egg (out of 200 million that were released in ejaculation) Sperm reaching egg sperm release digestive enzymes to enter egg

sperm dissolve their way eggs outer layers only a single sperm will be allowed inside egg egg now impermeable to all other spem inside, sperm loses tail, then sperms head will rupture to let DNA out EMBRYO within 24 hours after this occurs, cell begins to dividenow call a ZYGOTE as zygote divides, it moves toward uterusafter 5 days, called a blastocyst within 10 days of fertilization, blastocyst implants in lining of uterus after 2 weeks, barely 1/10 of an inch long 4 weeksembryo has arm buds and beginning of eyes 5 weeksnose begins to take shape 6 weeksleg buds 7 weeks3/4 of an inch long and it can move hands and it has fingers 8 weekstoe joints clearly visible FETUS 10 weekscalled a FETUS and can move a lot 11 weeks-2.5 inches long 14 weekscan suck its thumb 15 weekssensory organs are formed 16 weeksactively turning inside mom 18 weeks-5.5 inches long, eyes closed but it can see umbilical cordlink to mama BIRTH uterus contracts

The Miracle of Life

Afterbirth The placenta and amniotic sac after their expulsion through the vagina after birth. Amniotic Fluid The fluid inside the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus during pregnancy. Blastocyst multicellular descendent of the united sperm and ovum that implants on the wall of the uterus. Chromosomes threadlike structures that carry genes to living cells Conception The union of sperm and ovum DNA contains the genetic information from both parents. Without DNA reproduction is not possible.

Ejaculation The process whereby semen is expelled from the body through the penis. Fallopian tubes Two tubes in which the egg and sperm travel extending from the sides of the uterus. Fetus A term used to describe a baby in the third !at about " weeks after conception# and final stage of development !"aries female gonads that produce ova !eggs# and sex hormones. !"ulation The release of a mature ovum from the ovary. !"um female reproductive cell #lacenta a disk$shaped organ attached to the uterine wall and connected to the fetus by an umbilical cord. Nutrients oxygen and waste products pass between mother and fetus through its cell walls. $crotum The pouch of skin of the external male genitals that encloses the testicles. $emen or seminal fluid a thick fluid e%aculated through the penis that contains sperm and fluids from the prostate seminal vesicles and &owper's glands. $perm The male reproductive cell. Testes (ale gonads inside the scrotum that produce sperm and sex hormones. %terus the pear like shaped organ inside the female pelvis within which the fetus develops. &y'ote The single cell resulting from the union of sperm and egg cells.

!"aries
)ach woman is created with a * million egg cells )ach egg cell or ovum contains +, chromosomes &ontain hormones to stimulate the growth of - egg (atured eggs travel through the fallopian tubes to wait for sperm. The egg must be fertili.ed within +/ hours The egg is approximately the si.e of grain of sand 0f the egg is not fertili.ed it disintegrates

Testicles
1roduce roughly /22 billion sperm over a life time. 3oughly -22 million sperm are produced every 24 hours

Testicles unlike the female sex organs are outside the body 4perate under very specific conditions one such condition is temperature. 5perm are most efficiently produced at several degrees lower than body temperature !"6.7# )ach sperm head contains the DNA material )ach sperm head contains +, chromosomes (illions are produced because so much can go wrong 5perm production in the testicles can impaired by a variety of causes8 $Temperature $Tight fitting clothing $1ollution $ 1oor nutrition $5tress $ 3adiation $&hemical pollution $ Water $Air 9uality

)ach e%aculation produces approximately a * teaspoon of blended semen. 5perm once e%aculated are viable for approximately +6$/6 hrs. The vagina is a very inhospitable place for sperm. * of all sperm will die almost immediately and only : the remaining will swim up the tube containing the waiting egg. ;oal of sperm fertili.e the egg or ovum. 0t is programmed to fertili.e the egg. The odds of doing so are lowered by o The number of highly defective sperm. o Acidity of the vagina o The woman's own defense system looks at the sperm as an invader and seeks to destroy it. o 4f the +22$,22 million sperm that start the %ourney only <2 find their way toward the egg. o 4nly - sperm will enter to fertili.e the egg

Fertili(ation
=irst sperm to penetrate the egg membrane is immediately drawn inside. The egg membrane then becomes impermeable to any other sperm. 4nce inside the sperm head ruptures and DNA spills out. ;enetic material from the father's +, chromosomes and the mother's +, chromosomes %oin together to form a single new cell !now made up of

/7 chromosomes# Within +/ hours cell division has begun 4nce divided the fertili.ed egg is called a .ygote. The cell has little chance to grow yet because cell division is taking place so rapidly. )ach new generation of cells within the .ygote is smaller that the previous one. After < days the .ygote is now called a blastocyst. 0t is still no bigger than the original egg. Within -2 days of fertili.ation the blastocyst will implant itself in the lining of the uterus. After + weeks the blastocyst is about ->-2 of an inch long and has attached itself to the placenta that will nourish it. At about , weeks nerve growth begins when a sheet of cells on the back of the embryo folds in the middle to form a tube which will become the spinal cord. At one end the tube enlarges to form the brain?s ma%or sections. What will become amniotic fluid begins to collect now. 0n the weeks and months ahead this fluid will cushion the fetus. At / weeks arm butts are visible and the eyes have started to form At < weeks the nose has taken shape the heart no bigger than a poppyseed has already begun to beat and pump blood. (a%or organs including the kidneys and liver begin to grow. The neural tube which connects the brain and spinal cord will close this week. At 7 weeks leg butts appear and the blastocyst is about : inch long and the spine is visible. At @ weeks the baby is about A of an inch long the hands move and the fingers are visible the internal organs are visible and the eye lens has formed the skull bones are growing together teeth are forming the skin in paper thin and veins are clearly visible At 6 weeks the fingers are defined and toe %oints are visible At " weeks the genitals although not visible on an ultrasound are forming At -2 weeks the blastocyst is now called a fetus. 0t moves actively the ears are growing and a tail is still visible. =ingernails and peach fu.. hair form. The vital organs B the liver kidneys intestines brain and lungs B are fully formed and functional while the head is almost half the length of the entire body. At -- weeks the fetus is about + : inches long At -+ weeks it is about , inch long and the umbilical cord is nourishing the baby. The face is beginning to look more human even though he is

only about , inches long and weighs slightly more than half an ounce. The eyes which started out on the sides of the head have moved closer together. The ears are almost in their normal position on the side of the head. The liver is making bile and the kidneys are secreting urine into the bladder. The fetus has ac9uired more reflexes8 Touching the palms makes the fingers close touching the soles of the feet makes the toes curl down and touching the eyelids makes the eye muscles clench. At -/ weeks the fetus can bring its hands together and suck it's thumb At -< weeks the sensory organs are almost complete At -7 weeks the baby is actively turning At -6 weeks it is about < : inches long the mouth and lips are formed the eyes are closed but it can see.

0t will be at least 6 more weeks !+7 weeks since fertili.ation# before the baby can potentially survive outside the mother. 1remature babies born this early often do not survive because their vital organs are not fully formed and functional. The baby often is not strong enough to survive. ;reat strides have been made however in the area of caring for premature infants.