Reproductive System Flashcards
State the normal location of fertilization.
Fertilization normally occurs at the end of the fallopian tube away from the uterus.
Outline human development from zygote to birth.
Conception: one sperm among many converges with an egg, creating a zygote.
First trimester: development of the spinal cord, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart and lungs. Development of a face, heartbeat, and mobile limbs. By the end of the first trimester, baby now weighs one ounce. The sex of the baby can now be discerned.
Second trimester: the baby kicks, can hear and has a strong grip. A strong heartbeat is evident. The skin is transparent and fingernails and toenails form. The baby also has hair and lashes.
Third trimester: the baby is very active and now responds to sounds. She is gaining body fat and may weigh six pounds or more upon birth.
Birth: uterine contractions cause the cervix to stretch out and begin opening. Baby then moves from the uterus to the birth canal and is pushed through the cervix, emerging completely from the mother’s body. The final stage of birth occurs when the placenta is expelled and the umbilical cord is detached from the newborn.
Describe the relationship between meiosis and fertilization.
The gametes produced during meiosis are used to fertilize other gametes during fertilization.
Name the gametes and the primary sex organs that produce them for each gender.
Eggs are produced in the ovaries of a female while sperm is produced in the testes of a male.
Compare gametogenesis in males and females.
Spermatogenesis in males gives rise to sperm—the more motile of the two gametes—while oogenesis in females gives rise to eggs.
Describe the role of the hormone oxytocin plays in birth.
Oxytocin induces contractions prior to and during labor.
