Fertilization is the process by which two cells, one female and one male, join together to begin the gestation of an embryo. But, did you know that there are a lot of curiosities around it? Giving life is an incredible and precious act. We explain them to you.
Curious facts about human fertilization
Fertilization is the process that begins the formation of the future baby. This process, by which an egg and a sperm come together, is not the result of a casual union but of a process that nature provides us as natural but which, in reality, involves enormous complexity.
After sexual intercourse, the sperm migrate towards the Fallopian tubes, fleeing from the acidic environment of the vagina towards a more alkaline environment. Once there, they can survive for 48 to 72 hours, so fertilization can occur up to three days after intercourse.
An egg is only fertilized by one sperm, this happens because of all the hundreds of millions of sperm that the semen contains, only approximately a hundred reach the egg, and when they arrive and one manages to enter its interior and fertilize it, the membrane of The egg alters its chemical structure and blocks the passage to the rest of the sperm.
The work of sperm is an example of teamwork, because of the millions that arrive, the vast majority are “sacrificed” so that one can be the one that fertilizes. It is not the one who arrives first and is fertilized, but rather the one who manages to reach the egg thanks to the help of others.
At this moment the male gamete loses its tail and fuses its nucleus with that of the egg: from this union, the first cell of the baby is born that contains the genetic load of that new human being (zygote) from the color of its eyes to whether its hair will be straight or curly.
Once the egg is fertilized, it heads towards the uterus on a journey that lasts three or four days, but the reality is that a few hours after fertilization it has already begun to divide into cells and when it reaches its destination it consists of 16 cells and looks similar to blackberry fruit. In fact, it is known as “morula”. Once in the uterus, it remains free there for another two or three days while its process continues and until it implants in the uterine mucosa, around day 21 or 22 after the last period.
Implantation is done in the endometrium, the outer layer excavates a kind of nest and forms the trophoblast, a membrane that will later give rise to the placenta, which is responsible for nourishing the baby throughout the pregnancy. It is in this implantation process when small, rare spots may appear that can be confused with the period, known as implantation spots.
From that moment on, the development of the embryo is constant and changes occur hour by hour until the day of delivery.
Curious facts about fertilization and ovulation
- Since birth, a woman has 400,000 oocytes, which are the immature forms of future eggs. In each menstrual cycle, several oocytes are produced but only one grows and that is known as the dominant oocyte.
- A woman has between 400 and 450 menstruations or periods throughout her life. In each of these menstrual cycles the chances of getting pregnant are 25%.
- 20% of couples of childbearing age have infertility problems throughout their reproductive years.
- For fertile couples, it takes an average of five months to get pregnant or after having sexual relations 104 times.
- The egg is the largest human cell in our body, measuring approximately 0.14 millimeters, and can be seen with the naked eye. Once it has been released, it only lives for approximately 24 hours so it must be fertilized during that time.
- Around the world, in just one minute, one million women ovulate , five hundred become pregnant and two hundred fertilized eggs are lost due to natural causes. Incredible true?.
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