You might have been planning to have a baby for a while, or perhaps you are just beginning to think about having children. But conceiving is not necessarily as easy or as quick as you may expect.
Don't become discouraged if you do not conceive immediately after stopping contraception. About half of all couples who plan their pregnancies succeed in conceiving in three and a half months. Twenty percent of all planned pregnancies take nine months before conception. If you succeed in conceiving this week, you will have begun the process that creates a new living being. But you may not know for another couple of weeks until you miss your period.
To increase your chances of conceiving make sure you are healthy. If you have regular cycles you can use an ovulation calculator to predict which days offer you the best chances of conceiving. If your cycles are irregular, you can still discover when you are fertile by measuring and recording your temperature each morning before you get out of bed. You can chart your fertility using a basal body temperature and cervical mucus chart. A one degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature will suggest you are ovulating. Alternatively you can use an ovulation predictor kit to confirm this.
Just before birth, your ovariesPart of the female reproductive system, it is one of a pair of female gonads located on each side of the lower abdomen. Similar in size and shape to an almond, at ovulation an egg is extruded from a follicle on the ovary's surface. The mature follicle secretes both estrogen and progesterone to regulate the menstrual cycle.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. contained 6.8 million potential single cell ova, and by the time you were born you had 500,000. Your menstrual cycle takes place about every twenty eight days throughout your reproductive life, although the frequency depends on hormonesA complex chemical substance created in a part or organ of the body. When released it initiates or regulates activity in an organ or group of cells in another part of the body.
Hormones secreted by endocrine glands are transported through the bloodstream to their target organ. The amount of hormone secreted is regulated either by other hormones, by neurotransmitters, or simply when an excess of the organ's activity indicates a need to reduce the amount of the hormone produced.
Other hormones are produced locally by the organs themselves and are common in the digestive tract.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. that interact in the menstrual cycle.
No results found. Click here for amazon.com
This process prepares your uterus for pregnancy. From your first period to menopause you may carry four thousand ripe ova. Each month, between one hundred and one hundred and fifty ova begin to ripen, although only one reaches maturity.
During the first day of menstrual bleeding, the endometriumThe mucus membrane lining of the uterus which changes in thickness and structure during the menstrual cycle. It consists of three parts; the stratum compactum, the stratum spongiosum and the stratum basale. The first two parts combine to form the pars funtionalis, which is shed during menstruation. During pregnancy, the pars functionalis is termed the decidua, and underlies the placenta.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., which lines the uterus, is shed. It is replaced and thickens when the bleeding stops. During your period the pituitary glandThe gland that is largely responsible for controlling the production of hormones that regulate the body and play an important role during pregnancy.
The gland consists of two parts, the adenohypophysis, whose control functions include growth hormone, somatotropin, follicle stimulating hormone (fsh), luteinizing hormone, and prolactin which stimulates breast milk production.
The other part, the neurohypophysis, stores and regulates oxytocin, responsible for stimulating the uterine muscle during labor, and vasopressin which inhibits diuresis and raises blood pressure.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. releases a hormone that stimulates the ovary into ripening an ovum.
As the ovum matures, the ovary secretes estrogenOne of a group of female hormonal steroids that promote secondary sex characteristics.
Created in the ovaries, adrenal cortices, and fetoplacental unit, estrogen is used to prepare the genital tract for fertilization, implantation and nutrition of the embryo.
Estrogen is a key ingredient in oral contraceptives. Estrogens include conjugated estrogen, esterified estrogen, estradiol, estriol and estrone.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. into the bloodstream preventing the pituitary glandThe gland that is largely responsible for controlling the production of hormones that regulate the body and play an important role during pregnancy.
The gland consists of two parts, the adenohypophysis, whose control functions include growth hormone, somatotropin, follicle stimulating hormone (fsh), luteinizing hormone, and prolactin which stimulates breast milk production.
The other part, the neurohypophysis, stores and regulates oxytocin, responsible for stimulating the uterine muscle during labor, and vasopressin which inhibits diuresis and raises blood pressure.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. from releasing more hormonesA complex chemical substance created in a part or organ of the body. When released it initiates or regulates activity in an organ or group of cells in another part of the body.
Hormones secreted by endocrine glands are transported through the bloodstream to their target organ. The amount of hormone secreted is regulated either by other hormones, by neurotransmitters, or simply when an excess of the organ's activity indicates a need to reduce the amount of the hormone produced.
Other hormones are produced locally by the organs themselves and are common in the digestive tract.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and stopping more ova from ripening. The ovum matures in a fluid filled sac called the follicle in one of the two ovaries, which are joined to the uterus by the fallopian tubesAlso called the oviduct, it is one of a pair of ducts that lead from the peritoneal cavity over the ovary to the uterus. The tubes serve to lead the ovum to the uterus and the spermatozoa to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are located in the lower abdomen by a broad ligament called the mesosalpinx.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Your body will usually alternate ovaries, ripening an ovum in the left ovary one month, and the right ovary the next.
Fourteen days after you started bleeding, the matured follicle ruptures and becomes the corpus luteumA structure about 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter on the surface of the ovary that grows within the ovarian follicle following ovulation.
During a woman's reproductive lifetime, a corpus luteum forms after each ovulation and secretes progesterone, which helps to maintain the mucus lining of the uterus in the necessary state for implantation and pregnancy.
If fertilization fails to occur, the corpus luteum atrophies 2 weeks prior to menstruation turning into a pale spot called the corpus albicans.
Should conception take place, it will secrete increasing quantities of progesterone fulfilling its maximum function (and helping to create the placenta) at about 11 weeks of gestation. Thereafter it will diminish in size until about 6 months after gestation.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. It releases the ovum, which is drawn into the fallopian tubeAlso called the oviduct, it is one of a pair of ducts that lead from the peritoneal cavity over the ovary to the uterus. The tubes serve to lead the ovum to the uterus and the spermatozoa to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are located in the lower abdomen by a broad ligament called the mesosalpinx.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. by fingered tentacles. The corpus luteum then produces progesterone, a hormone that helps the body prepare for pregnancy should the ovum be fertilized.
If the ovum is not fertilized the corpus luteumA structure about 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter on the surface of the ovary that grows within the ovarian follicle following ovulation.
During a woman's reproductive lifetime, a corpus luteum forms after each ovulation and secretes progesterone, which helps to maintain the mucus lining of the uterus in the necessary state for implantation and pregnancy.
If fertilization fails to occur, the corpus luteum atrophies 2 weeks prior to menstruation turning into a pale spot called the corpus albicans.
Should conception take place, it will secrete increasing quantities of progesterone fulfilling its maximum function (and helping to create the placenta) at about 11 weeks of gestation. Thereafter it will diminish in size until about 6 months after gestation.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. dries up and stops producing progesteroneOne of the two naturally occuring female hormones (the other is estrogen) used to regulate and maintain the pregnancy. Produced first by the corpus luteum in the ovary, production is subsequently taken over by the placenta as it develops. During pregnancy a mother's production of progesterone ten times the level it was prior to conception. Progesterone and estrogen are responsible for giving many mothers a sense of tranquility, shiny hair and glowing skin.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. This reduction in the level of progesterone causes the uterine lining to decompose and your period to start once again, beginning the cycle that stimulates another ovum into ripening.
No results found. Click here for amazon.com
If the ovum is fertilized you will have succeeded in conceiving and over the course of the next thirty eight weeks, you will be able to watch as the embryo inside you grows into a fetus.
The penis ejaculates about four hundred and eighty million sperm during orgasm. Acid in the vagina, which serves to kill bacteria, also kills about half of the sperm. The remainder takes one to five hours to travel along the reproductive tract into the cervixThe part of the uterus that protrudes into the vaginal cavity. It is separated from the bladder by the parametrium. The vaginal end of the cervix contains the cervical canal.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Changes that take place during ovulation allow the sperm to pass through the mucusThe viscous secretions of the mucus membranes and glands. Mucus contains mucin, white blood cells, water, salts and exfoliated cells.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. that seals the cervix.
Contractions of the uterine muscle move both the dead and live sperm along at approximately one inch every eight minutes until about three thousand reach the fallopian tubesAlso called the oviduct, it is one of a pair of ducts that lead from the peritoneal cavity over the ovary to the uterus. The tubes serve to lead the ovum to the uterus and the spermatozoa to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are located in the lower abdomen by a broad ligament called the mesosalpinx.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. where the ovum is waiting. Several hundred will reach the ovum and usually only one will penetrate and fertilize the ovum.
Assisted conception is usually considered as an option after a couple has tried to conceive for several years without success. Sometimes, testing that suggests natural conception is unlikely, leads to assisted conception.
There are many reasons why you may not conceive naturally, including blocked fallopian tubesAlso called the oviduct, it is one of a pair of ducts that lead from the peritoneal cavity over the ovary to the uterus. The tubes serve to lead the ovum to the uterus and the spermatozoa to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are located in the lower abdomen by a broad ligament called the mesosalpinx.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and problems with sperm. Sometimes, even when tests appear normal, couples are unable to conceive naturally.
There are two primary forms of assisted conception, GIFT, or Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer and IVF, or in vitro fertilization. GIFT involves mixing the ova and sperm externally and then injecting them into the fallopian tube. IVF, a more complex process, involves removing ova and fertilizing them externally. Between three and ten embryos, or fertilized eggs, are placed in the uterus.
No results found. Click here for amazon.com
Once your baby is conceived there is no difference between assisted and natural conception throughout the term of your pregnancy. But by choosing assisted conception you will have made more of an emotional investment and may feel more concerned than normal throughout your term.
It is impossible for doctors to know exactly when you conceived. Instead, doctors and midwives calculate your estimated due date as 280 days from your last menstrual period. You are most likely to conceive two weeks after your period, so your baby is actually two weeks younger than the "age" it is given. If you know you have already conceived, use our due date calculator to discover your estimated due date. BabyPartner will remember what week you are in, so you can go there directly each time you visit.
The nucleus of all cells contains forty six chromosomesOne of the structures within the nucleus of a cell that transmits genetic information. Each of the chromosomes contains a double strand of the helical nucleoprotein deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Chromosomes occur in 23 pairs in every human cell.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. making twenty three pairs, except for sperm cells and ova cells. These cells have twenty three chromosomes each so that when the sperm and the ovum combine, the newly created cell contains forty six chromosomes.
Each geneThe part of every cell in which genetic material and inheritance is stored. Introduced by Mendel, the concept is still evolving and is a rapidly growing area of medical science.
In humans, genes occur as paired alleles. They serve numerous purposes, chiefly structural and regulative components that control diferentiation of cells and body tissues.
There are many different types of genes including complementary genes, dominant genes, lethal genes, mutant genes, operator genes, pleiotropic genes, recessive genes, regulator genes, structural genes, sublethal genes, supplementary genes and wild-type genes.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. inside each chromosome connects with its pair. At this moment the genetic characteristics of your baby are determined. These genes will determine your baby's sex, eye color, hair color and texture, skin pigmentation and personality.
No results found. Click here for amazon.com
One of the pairs of chromosomesOne of the structures within the nucleus of a cell that transmits genetic information. Each of the chromosomes contains a double strand of the helical nucleoprotein deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Chromosomes occur in 23 pairs in every human cell.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. will determine your baby's sex. Every ovum cell contains twenty two chromosomes and one X sex chromosomes. Every sperm cell contains twenty two chromosomes and one sex chromosome which can be either X or Y.
If the sperm contains an X chromosome your baby will be a girl, if a Y your baby will be a boy. This is because the X chromosome dominates when it meets an X chromosome.
Dominant and recessive genes determine all of your baby's characteristics, but because genes are in pairs there are opportunities for genes to introduce diversity. Dark eyed genes are dominant, but when meeting blued eyed genes, the blued eyed gene will remain as a recessive gene.
If one dark eyed parent with a recessive blue eyed gene has a child with another dark eyed parent with a recessive blue eyed gene, the baby has a twenty five percent chance of being born with blue eyes.
No results found. Click here for amazon.com
