Reproduction, Fertility and Contraception Flashcards

1
Q

What are the testes?

A

This is where sperm are produced. (Male)

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2
Q

What is the penis?

A

Organ that introduces sperm into the vagina. (Male)

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3
Q

What is the urethra?

A

The tube through which the sperm leave the penis. (Male)

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4
Q

What is the scrotum?

A

Sac that holds the testes in place and protects them at slightly lower than body temperature. (Male)

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5
Q

What is the sperm tube?

A

It carries sperm from the testis to the penis. (Male)

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6
Q

What is the prostate gland?

A

It adds fluid to nourish the sperm. (Male)

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7
Q

What are the ovaries?

A

This is where eggs develop. (Female)

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8
Q

What is the uterus?

A

This is where a fertilised egg grows into a baby and is the proper name for the womb.

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9
Q

What are the oviducts?

A

Carries the ova (eggs) to the uterus, fertilisation takes place here.

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10
Q

What is the vagina?

A

An erect penis is inserted here during sexual intercourse and this is also where the baby comes out at birth.

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11
Q

What is the cervix?

A

The opening of the uterus, widens during the process of birth.

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12
Q

What are sperm cells?

A

They are specialised cells formed in the testes by meiosis to produce haploid nuclei.

They develop under the influence of the hormone testosterone.

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13
Q

What is a flagellum?

A

A flagellum is the tail that sperm cells have and they produce swimming movements to enable the sperm to reach the egg.

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14
Q

Why do both egg (ovum) and sperm cells have a haploid nucleus?

A

They both have a haploid nucleus (half the normal 46 chromosomes) to restore the diploid number after fertilisation.

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15
Q

Why does the egg cell (ovum) have a large cytoplasm?

A

It contains food reserves for the developing embryo.

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16
Q

Why does the sperm cell have mitochondria?

A

To provide energy to the sperm cell.

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17
Q

What is fertilisation?

A

This is the fusion of the haploid sperm nucleus and the female egg nucleus to produce a diploid zygote.

This occurs in the female’s oviduct.

The sperm is deposited in the vagina, swims through the uterus and along the oviduct where it may fuse with an egg if one is present.

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18
Q

What happens after fertilisation?

A

After fertilisation the zygote divides many times by mitosis to form a ball of cells as it travels down the oviduct to the uterus.

After this implantation occurs where the ball of cells embeds in the lining of the uterus and starts to develop into a foetus (the woman is now pregnant).

After implantation in the uterus lining it then differentiates to produce a variety of tissues and organs.

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19
Q

What do some of the embryo cells do after implantation?

A

Some of the cells develop into the placenta. This is the organ of exchange between the mother’s blood and the baby’s blood.

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20
Q

How is the placenta adapted for exchange of substances?

A

Villi in the placenta: provide a large surface area for diffusion of different substances between the foetus and the mother.

Thin wall of placenta: gives a short diffusion pathway.

Blood vessels in the umbilical cord are close by: Maintain a diffusion gradient.

21
Q

What direction are oxygen and nutrients (e.g. glucose and amino acids) transported between the mother and baby?

A

They are transported from mother to baby as they provide the foetus with the substances it requires for respiration and growth.

22
Q

What does the amnion and amniotic fluid do?

A

The amnion and amniotic fluid cushion the foetus.

23
Q

How are substances transferred to and from the foetus?

A

Substances are carried to or from the foetus in the blood vessels in the umbilical cord.

24
Q

What is the male sex hormone and where is it produced?

A

The male sex hormone is testosterone and is produced in the testes.

25
Q

What is the female sex hormone and where is it produced?

A

The female sex hormone is oestrogen and is produced in the ovaries.

26
Q

What does testosterone in males and oestrogen in females do?

A

They are important hormones in the development of secondary sexual characteristics that are a feature of puberty.

27
Q

What are the secondary sexual characteristics developed during puberty and who are they developed in?

A

Growth spurt: boys and girls

Voice deepens: only boys

Growth of facial hair: only boys

Growth of body hair: boys and girls

Growth of penis: only boys

Development of hips: only girls

Menstruation: only girls

Development of breasts: only girls

28
Q

What is the role of oestrogen in the menstrual cycle?

A

The initial repair and build up of the uterus wall and the stimulation of ovulation.

29
Q

What are the levels of oestrogen in different stages of the menstrual cycle?

A

At the start of the menstrual cycle the level of oestrogen is low.

As the cycle progresses the level of oestrogen rises.

It peaks in the middle of the cycle, causing the release of an egg (ovulation).

30
Q

What is the role of progesterone in the menstrual cycle?

A

It builds up and maintains the thick uterine lining (and the subsequent development of the placenta and other structures associated with pregnancy) should pregnancy occur.

31
Q

What are the levels of progesterone in the different stages of the menstrual cycle?

A

The level is low during menstruation and it peaks in the days following ovulation.

32
Q

What happens to the levels of progesterone and oestrogen if pregnancy doesn’t occur?

A

The levels will drop towards the end of the cycle and this causes menstruation to occur. The cycle then begins again.

33
Q

What happens in each stage of the menstrual cycle?

A

Day 1-5: Menstruation - blood flows out of the vagina as the lining of the womb breaks up.

Day 6-10: The lining of the womb starts to grow again - becomes thick with a rich blood supply.

Day 10-17: During this time it is possible for fertilisation to occur if sperm is present in the oviduct as…

Day 13-15: Ovulation occurs- egg is released from the ovary.

Day 18-28: If the egg is not fertilised it dies and eventually passes out the vagina.

The cycle then repeats itself.

34
Q

What are some causes of infertility in women?

A

Failure of ovary to produce eggs.

The oviducts may be blocked or twisted, possibly due to infection.

Premature menopause.

Damage to the oviducts as a result of a STI.

35
Q

What are some causes of infertility in men?

A

Low sperm count

Abnormal sperm (e.g. poor mobility)

Hormone imbalances

Impotence

36
Q

What are fertility drugs and what could it cause?

A

These are given to the women to increase production of eggs. This may solve the problem of infertility if low egg production is the issue but if there are other problems such as blocked oviducts then IVF may be necessary. This could also lead to multiple babies.

37
Q

What is IVF?

A

In Vitro Fertilisation was developed to allow infertile couples to conceive a child. Egg and sperm are harvested from the parents and allowed to combine in a culture dish before the fertilised embryos are placed into the mother’s uterus.

38
Q

What are the 5 steps of IVF?

A
  1. The woman is given fertility hormones for a period of time before IVF to:

Stimulate the production of a large number of ova

Thicken the uterine lining in preparation for implantation.

  1. The ova produced are collected from the ovaries via the vagina.
  2. Sperm is donated and mixed with the eggs in a Petri dish and the nuclei allowed to fuse to fertilise the ova - in vitro.
  3. The fertilised ova are checked for healthy development by examination under a microscope.
  4. The selected fertilised ova will continue to develop for several days and are then implanted into the uterine lining.
39
Q

Why are multiple embryos implanted into the uterine lining in IVF?

A

To increase the chances of the pregnancy being successful as:

Some embryos die or do not divide or

Some embryos fail to implant successfully.

40
Q

What do multiple embryos replacements in IVF carry the risk for?

A

Multiple pregnancy and birth, increased risk of premature labour, leading to a higher risk of birth defects.

41
Q

What could leftover embryos be used for?

A

If they’re suitable they could be frozen for future IVF attempts.

42
Q

What are some ethical issues with IVF?

A

Expensive

Characteristics of babies could be selected- ‘designer babies’

Emotionally exhausting

43
Q

What is mechanical contraception?

A

It provides a physical barrier to prevent the passage of sperm therefore sperm cannot reach the egg to fertilise it.

It also prevents the spread of sexually transmitted infections e.g. chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

E.g. condom

44
Q

What are the advantages of mechanical contraception?

A
  • Mechanical methods are reversible.
  • They don’t require medical supervision.
  • Very reliable if used properly.
45
Q

What is chemical contraception?

A

It changes hormone levels to stop the development of the ovum therefore no egg is present in the oviduct to be fertilised.

E.g. the contraceptive pill, chemical implant.

Chemical implants are small tubes about 4cm long inserted under the skin in the arm that release hormones slowly over a long period of time to prevent the development and release of an egg.

46
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of chemical contraception?

A

Advantages:

Reliable and reversible method.

Disadvantages:

May have side effects such as increased risk of blood clots.

The contraceptive pill must be taken daily for 21 consecutive days.

Requires medical supervision.

Does not protect against STIs.

47
Q

What is surgical contraception?

A

In males the sperm ducts are cut so sperm cannot be released from the male’s body.

In females the oviducts are cut so ova cannot meet sperm in the oviduct.

48
Q

What is are the advantages and disadvantages of surgical sterilisation?

A

Advantage:

Virtually 100% reliable.

Disadvantages:

It is an irreversible method of contraception.

It doesn’t protect against STIs.

49
Q

Why are some people opposed to contraception, what may they do instead and why is this unreliable?

A

For religious or for ethical reasons, however these people may avoid having sex around the time when the woman releases an ovum each month (has been called the natural method of contraception). This is unreliable since many women have an irregular menstrual cycle, making it difficult to know exactly when an egg is being released.