NOTES on the process of conception/fertilization

  • Sperm, the male reproductive cells, are produced daily in the man's testes (he has 2 of them), then the sperm mature and are stored in the epididymis. Upon ejaculation, the sperm travel through the vas deferens and the urethra out of the penis.

  • Semen is a combination of sperm and other "helpful" fluids. There are between 100 - 400 million (!) sperm cells in the 1/2 teaspoon of ejaculate. Each sperm cell contains the 23 chromosomes necessary to fertilize a woman's reproductive cell, the egg (which also has 23).

  • Before a man ejaculates, there is a little bit of "pre-cum" that also contains sperm cells and can impregnate a woman's egg cell.

  • Eggs are matured in the follicles of a woman's ovary (she has two) and one bursts into the fallopian, AKA uterine, tube once per month (called ovulation). If the sperm enters the fallopian tube at this time, fertilization can occur, forming a zygote.

  • The estrogen and progesterone released by the ovary thicken the lining of the uterus with blood cells, so that the uterus is ready for an embryo to implant and start growing into a fetus. If no fertilization happens, the egg disintegrates & the uterine lining falls out (this is called menstruation).

TYPES OF BIRTH CONTROL
How do they work?! By interfering with conception.

PHYSICAL BARRIERS
CHEMICAL METHODS
BEHAVIORAL METHODS
condoms
diaphragms
tubal ligation
vasectomy
IUD's
implant devices
spermicides
injections
douche
abstinence
rhythm method

 


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