Gestational Age Essay

1980 Words4 Pages

• Define gestational age compared to developmental age • Explain the trimester system of embryological development • Describe the development on a week by week basis throughout pregnancy from the time of fertilization to birth • Understand the stages of development that are sensitive to abnormalities and are at an increased risk of spontaneous abortions • Define aneuploidy and explain its significance to spontaneous abortions • Define confined placental mosaicism, explain how it occurs and why it significant • Review how twins arise and how it might matter regarding the sharing or lack of sharing of the embryonic membranes and placenta • Explain the composition and functions of the extra-embryonic tissue and membranes • Review methods …show more content…

http://wps.aw.com/bc_martini_eap_5/108/27714/7094998.cw/index.html • Fertilization: - Fertilization: the fusion of the mature sperm cell with the secondary oocyte, resulting in the genetic material from two haploid cells fusing to form a single diploid cell - Chances of fertilization: Sperm are viable for 48 hours after it is deposited into the female, but the oocyte cell is only viable for 24 hours after ovulation. This results in a 3 day window for fertilization to take place - Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tubes. - In order for fertilization to occur the sperm must penetrate the corona radiata and then the zona pellucida before it can fuse with the plasma membrane of the oocyte. It burrows into the corona radiata and binds to a sperm receptor, one of the glycoprotein’s in the zona pellucida which causes the head of the sperm to release enzymes that digest through the zona pellucida, making a path for the sperm to the plasma membrane of the secondary oocyte. Once the two plasma membranes come in contact with each other, they fuse and the sperm nucleus is released into

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