Week ten marks the end of the embryonic period and your baby has entered the fetal period.
Now your baby's bodyplan is complete! And this marks another important development: by the end of this week the risk of your baby developing congenital abnormalitiesAny abnormality which is present at birth. Also called birth defects, they can arise from genetic inheritance or acquired during gestation through disease or drugs.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is greatly diminished.
Your baby is taking on recognizable human form. It now has perceptible hands, nose, fingers, knees and toes. Your baby has also formed ankles and wrists. Fingers and toes have developed and the separation should be clearly visible. The tail of your baby has disappeared.
Your baby's genitals are not yet visible. However, the testes of male babies are producing testosteroneConsidered a male sex hormone, testosterone is the primary natural androgen in humans. It is produced by the interstitial cells of the testes when stimulated by luteinizing hormone.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., the male hormoneA 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 promotes masculinity. Taste buds and tooth buds are beginning to appear and your baby's brain is developing rapidly.
The placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is beginning to produce 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.. By week fourteen the placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. will have taken over progesterone production entirely from 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.
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The high levels of hormones in your body will produce emotional and physical effects. You will also experience possible softening of the gums and swollen thyroid glandsA vascular organ at the front of the neck consisting of two lobes connected in front of the windpipe. Larger in women than men, it increases in size during pregnancy, secreting the hormones thyroxine into the blood. It is activated by the pituitary thyrotropbic hormone and elaborated with iodine. It is essential to maintain normal body growth during infancy and childhood.
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If you think you are growing too big too quickly talk to your doctor. He will be able to advise you, and if he feels it is necessary, test for a molar pregnancyAn abnormal pregnancy with a cystic growth of the placenta. A hydatidiform mole develops from the trophoblastic tissue of the early embryonic stage of development.
In a molar pregnancy, all of the usual signs are highly exaggerated. The growth of the uterus is unusually rapid, morning sickness is often severe and there are high levels of chorionic gonadotropin as well as high blood pressure. In such cases the uterus must be evacuated to prevent the mole from developing into choriocarcinoma. Also known as gestational trophoblastic disease or GTN.
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