Chapter 6 - Pregnancy and Childbirth Flashcards
(80 cards)
Conception
- Fertilization of the egg by the sperm
How many sperm are released on average per ejaculation
- Between 200 and 400 million sperm
- 3 millilitres/ 1 teaspoon
- Only 200 to 300 get near the egg
How long do sperm live in the vagina
- Typically 48 hours
- Can live for as long as 8 days
How far can sperm swim
- 1 to 3 cm every hour
- Once arrived at the egg it is 3000 times their own lengths
Where does fertilization of the egg occur
- In the fallopian tubes
What is hyaluronidase
- Substance released by a sperm to help divide the “shell” on the egg so they can fertilize it
What is a fertilized egg called
- Zygote
What happens when the egg is fertilized
- It travels from the fallopian tube and implants itself in the uterus
How long does the process of fertilization/implantation take
- About five days
Pregnancy detection methods
- The absence of menstruation
- High basal body temperature that stays high for two week after ovulation
- Chemical human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) tests in the women’s urine
- Pelvic/Cervix exams (later on)
Basal body temperature
- Lowest body temperature while you’re resting
Placenta
- Organ that connects the fetus to the uterine wall for gas and nutrient exchange
- Produces HCG
- Secretes hormones like estrogen and progesterone
- Keeps circulatory systems separate
Nägele’s rule
- Calculation for expected due date
- Take the date of the first day of your last period
- Subtract three months
- Add 7 days
- Then add a year
- Usually born within a span of 10 days from this date
The embryonic stage/First Trimester
- First 8 weeks of pregnancy dated from the first day of the last menstrual period (so really about 12 weeks)
- Placenta and amniotic sac develop during this stage
Amniotic sac
- Sac filled with amniotic fluid that helps to protect the embryo from outside damage and harmful temperature changes
What develops in the first month of gestation
- Major organs and organ systems
What develops in the second month of gestation
- The umbilical cord becomes visible
- Facial features
- Hands
- Feet
- Body tissue
- Major blood vessels
- Liver, pancreas, and kidneys
What happens in the third months of gestation
- Embryo starts to be referred as the fetus
- Human physical traits like limbs and fingers
- Testicular tissue develops
- Biological sex
- Nails, hair follicles, and eyelids
- Very vulnerable tome for the baby
Effects of pregnancy in the first trimester
- Tenderness, tingling sensations, or fullness of breast
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Appetite changes (Cravings, revulsions, etc.)
- Frequent urination, irregular bowel movements, and increased vaginal secretion
When can fetal movement be detected
- Around 13 to 16 weeks
- Primiparous women: First or second time pregnant
- Primiparous women may have to wait until 18 to 20 weeks to feel movement
Effects of pregnancy during the second trimester
- Indigestion
- Constipation
- Placenta generates hormones to produce breast milk
- Breast and nipples enlarge, nipples get darker
- Stretch marks
- Generally report feeling well and better than the first trimester
What happens to the baby in the third trimester
- Fetal development of the brain and nervous system are complete
- Fetus skin is wrinkled and covered with down like hair to help regulate body temperature
- Down like hair is typically lost by the eighth month
- Settles into the head down position, which is know as the cephalic presentation
Effects of pregnancy during the third trimester
- Most uncomfortable
- Shifting centre of gravity
- Backache, leg cramps
- Frequent urination
- Shortness of breath
- Edema/Swelling or hands and feet
- Varicose veins in legs
- Hemorrhoids
- Weight gain is around 25 to 35 pounds per pregnancy
Can trans men get pregnant
- If they retain their ovaries and uterus and stop taking testosterone they can
- When T is stopped, their menstrual cycle and fertility are likely to return within a few weeks or months