1-15. REVIEW OF PREGNANCY EVENT TERMS
Remember these terms having to do with the events of pregnancy.
a. Amnion--the thin, tough, innermost layer of the membranous sac that
surrounds the fetus. This sac, also called the bag of waters, contains amniotic fluid.
b. Chorion--the outermost membrane enclosing the fetus.
c. Embryo--an organism in the earliest stages of development; in humans, from
the time of conception to the end of the second month in the uterus.
d. Fetus--the developing offspring in the uterus, from the second month of
pregnancy to birth.
e. Gestation--the name for pregnancy; the period of time between conception
and birth of the child. The normal duration of human pregnancy is about 280 days, 10
lunar months (months of 28 days each), or 9 calendar months.
f. Hyaluronidase--an enzyme found in sperm (also in snake and bee venom)
that causes the breakdown of hyaluronic acid in the tissue spaces of the ovum, thus
enabling sperm to enter the cells and tissues of an ovum.
g. Organogenesis--the origin and development of organs.
h. Ovum (singular), Ova (plural)--female reproductive cells capable of
developing, after fertilization, into new individuals.
i.
Parturition--the act of giving birth; also called childbirth.
j. Placenta--the organ within the pregnant uterus through which
the fetus is
nourished.
k. Semen--a white fluid produced by the male sex organs as a vehicle for
sperm. Another name for semen is seminal fluid. This fluid is mostly composed of
sperm plus secretions from the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and the
Bulbourethral glands.
l.
Sperm--A mature reproductive cell of the male.
m. Zygote--the new cell which is formed when a sperm nuclei and an ovum fuse.
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