FERTILIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN HUMANS

Fertilization
In human mating, or sexual intercourse, hundreds of millions of sperm are ejaculated into the vagina. The sperm then
travel through the cervix, across the uterus, and into the oviducts. If an egg is passing through one of the oviducts after being
released from the ovary during ovulation, fertilization occurs. Thus internal fertilization has occurred within the body of the
female. Thus, reproduction in most terrestrial vertebrate animals is characterized by internal fertilization. The gametes fuse in
the moist reproductive tract of the female. Fertilization occurs when there is fusion of a sperm nucleus and an egg nucleus
which results in a diploid cell called a zygote.
Implantation and Development
After fertilization, the zygote undergoes cleavage (which is a process in a fertilized egg, the first series of cell
divisions, which occur without growth or increase of the size of the cell and will continue until the cells of the embryo are
reduced to the size of most cells of the adult organism.) and develops into a blastula (is a stage of development in which the
embryo consists of a single layer of cells surrounding a fluid-filled cavity.). Meanwhile, it is moving through the oviduct toward
the uterus. About 5 to 10 days after fertilization, the embryo (is an organism in the early stages of development.) enters the
uterus. The outer layer of cells secrete enzymes that digest part of the thick lining of the uterus, and the embryo attaches itself
to the uterus. This attachment is called implantation. After implantation, gastrulation (is a process in which the cells on one
side of a blastula push in to form the two-layered gastrula.) of the embryo occurs. The three germ layers ( which are called 1-
ectoderm, 2-mesoderm, 3-endoderm.) are formed and all the tissues and organs of the body develop from these three layers by
growth and differentiation. The developing human is called an embryo from the time of fertilization up to about 8 weeks. After
this time, it is called a fetus.
The period during which the developing human is carried in the uterus is called pregnancy. During pregnancy, the
menstrual cycle is suppressed by a hormone secreted by the placenta (is a temporary organ through which the embryo receives
food and oxygen from the mother’s body and gets rid of wastes, and is a source of hormone.) . This hormone is called human
chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). This hormone prevents the breakdown of the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum continues to
secrete high levels of progesterone, which in turn maintains the thickened uterine wall The high progesterone level also
prevents the development of new follicles in the ovaries. Thus neither ovulation nor menstruation takes place during pregnancy.

In Vitro Fertilization
In many woman, fertilization of an egg cannot take place in the normal manner, because of damaged or lost oviducts.
To enable such women to become pregnant and give birth, techniques have been developed in recent years for fertilizing a
human egg outside the body. This is called fertilization in vitro, which literally means “in glass.” In this procedure, a mature
egg is removed from the woman’s ovary and placed in a suitable medium with sperm obtained from the husband. The egg is
fertilized by one of the sperm and is then allowed to start its development, the embryo is inserted into the woman’s uterus, not
necessary from the same woman where the egg came from, where it becomes implanted and completes its development in the
normal way.

DO NOW
What do you know about fertilization in humans? /// What questions do you have about fertilization in humans?

Questions:
1-How does fertilization occur naturally in humans?
2-What is the difference between external and internal fertilization?
3-Where does fertilization occur naturally in humans?
4-What happens after fertilization has occurred?
5-Why does the corpus luteum continue to secrete progesterone after fertilization?