Question

Trace the journey of the ovum from the ovary, its fertilisation and further development until the implantation of the embryo.

Answer 1

• The ovaries produce the female egg cells, called the ova or oocytes. The oocytes are then transported to the fallopian tube where fertilization by a sperm may occur.

• The fertilized egg then moves to the uterus, where the uterine lining has thickened in response to the normal hormones of the reproductive cycle.

• Once fertilized in the ampullary segment of the fallopian tube, the embryo spends about 5 days travelling into the remaining anatomical oviductal districts and arrives into the uterine cavity at the blastocyst stage.

• Implantation is the stage of pregnancy at which the embryo adheres to the wall of the uterus. At this stage of prenatal development, the conceptus is called a blastocyst. It is by this adhesion that the embryo receives oxygen and nutrients from the mother to be able to grow.