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.

Homework: Read “in vitro fertilization” and write a paragraph or more of your point of view to the question.
Question: A married couple wants a baby but can’t have one naturally , and elected to use “in vitro fertilization and a surrogate
mother. Is it right for the surrogated mother to want and keep the baby? Thus not giving the baby to the married couple that lent
the sperm and egg to the surrogated mother to develop the fertilized egg for them.
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?
LESSON PLAN FOR BIOLOGY-2

AIM: WHAT IS FERTILIZATION AND IMPLANTATION IN HUMANS?

OBJECTIVES:
1-DESCRIBE FERTILIZATION AND IMPLANTATION IN HUMANS

PROCEDURES:
1-DO NOW: IS A WRITING ASSIGNMENT.

2-MOTIVATION: IS A WRITING ASSIGNMENT

TRY TO DESCRIBE WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR FERTILIZATION IN HUMANS BY READING AND ANALYZING THE
PICTURE.

3-ELICIT AIM: WHAT IS FERTILIZATION AND IMPLANTATION IN HUMANS?

4-READ OUT LOUD FOR COMPREHENSION

5-ANSWER QUESTIONS

6-SUMMARY AND ANSWER AIM QUESTION

7-HOMEWORK

Aim: How does fertilization and implantation in humans occur?

Do now: Write a sentence or more-

What do you know about fertilization? / What would you like to
know about fertilization?

1-Fertilization is the joining of the haploid or monoploid egg

with a haploid or monoploid sperm cell to form a diploid zygote.
2-Fertilization is part of sexual reproduction.
3-Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube or oviduct in humans.
4-Fertilized egg or zygote implants in the uterus.
5-Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary during the
menstrual cycle.
6-The avg. menstrual cycle is 28 days and ovulation usually
occurs during the middle of the cycle, which is 14 days.
7-External fertilization occur outside of the body. Example
would be a female fish lays its eggs outside of the body and male
fish fertilize it with sperm cells.
8-Internal fertilization occurs inside the body. Example human
female releasing her egg from the ovary and fertilize in the
fallopian or oviduct by a sperm cell from a male.
9-External development occurs when the fetus develops outside
of the body. Chicken egg develops outside of the body.
10-Internal development occurs when the fetus develops inside
the body.
1-The fertilized egg is called a zygote, which is the first cell
form from the joining of the sperm and egg cell.
2-The zygote divides into smaller cells by the process of mitosis
called cleavage.
3-During the division of cells in the early embryo stage by
cleavage, the cells arrange themselves into different layers.
4-The cells in the early embryo stage arrange itself into a ball
called blastula, which is a hollow (empty) ball of cells. The outer
layer of cells for the blastula is called the ectoderm cell layer.
5-The blastula arrange it’s cells to become the gastrula.
6-The gastrula arrange its cell to different layers called ectoderm
cell layer, endoderm cell layer and mesoderm cell layer.
7-The ectoderm cells, mesoderm cells and endoderm cells form
the different germ cells layers, which are the stem cells that form
all the other different type of cells and body parts of the human
organism.
8-The ectoderm cell layer is the outer layer of the early embryo.
9-The mesoderm cell layer is the middle layer of the early
embryo.
10-The endoderm cell layer is the inner layer of the early
embryo.
-Yolk is the food source for an embryo that is contained in the
yolk sac for external development. Example would be chicken
egg.
-The placenta is an organ that is connected to the mother’s uterus
wall and to the embryo or fetus by the umbilical cord. The
placenta is a bridge that allows nutrients to be transfer from the
mother to the embryo or fetus. Also, metabolic waste products
are transfer from the embryo or fetus to the mother’s circulatory
system. The placenta function by active and passive transport.
The umbilical cord is a tube that contains blood vessels that
allow transfer of nutrients and metabolic waste products between
the mother and embryo or fetus. Thus, the umbilical cord is
attached to the placenta and embryo or fetus.