The site of fertilization in woman

Fertilization and implantation During fertilization, the sperm and egg unite in one of the fallopian tubes to form a zygote. Then the zygote travels down the fallopian tube, where it becomes a morula. Once it reaches the uterus, the morula becomes a blastocyst. The blastocyst then burrows into the uterine lining — a process called implantation.

If you’re a woman experiencing infertility, you’re not alone. About 11% of women aged 15 to 44 are unable to conceive after one or more years of unprotected sex. While a woman’s ability to conceive and carry a pregnancy decreases with age, many other factors can impact fertility. “Irregular menstrual cycles, problems with reproductive anatomy or other illnesses can also impact fertility. So women of all ages can benefit from seeing a fertility specialist for an evaluation. The earlier you seek care, the greater the chance for achieving a healthy pregnancy,” says What Causes Infertility In Women? It's never too soon to see someone to discuss your fertility and explore your options. Each step of the reproductive process must occur to achieve pregnancy. A woman’s ovary must release an egg (ovulation), which travels through the fallopian tube into the uterus. Once in the uterus, the egg must be fertilized by a male’s sperm to achieve conception. There are many Conditions that can disrupt ovulation Several factors can interfere with the ovary’s ability to release an egg each month, including: • Age: As women age, the quality and quantity of healthy eggs diminish. Girls are born with approximately 5 million eggs. When menstruation begins at age 12 or 13, about a half-million eggs remain. By age 32, the quality of eggs begins to decline and by age 37, most women have less than 20% of their eggs left. • Hormonal imbalances: Hormonal disorders can interfere with ovulation. Polycyst...

All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. Our MedicalReview Board includes OB/GYNs, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, doulas, lactation counselors, endocrinologists, fertility specialists and more. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're reading.Learn more about | April 6, 2021 While you release only a single egg each month, your partner releases millions of sperm in a single ejaculation — all with an eye on that single prize. But only one of those sperm will be crowned the victor, and the odds are stacked against fertilization. Luckily, egg and sperm have developed some pretty cool tricks to give themselves a fighting chance. Read on to find out how fertilization actually works. Fertilization is when a man’s sperm combines with a woman's egg to form a single cell. It’s one of the first steps toward pregnancy, but there are more hurdles to cross. Where does fertilization occur? Some people think fertilization happens in the uterus, since that’s where the baby develops. However, fertilization actually occurs in the fallopian tubes. Each sperm has a single goal: to meet up with the egg.To reach the target, though,a sperm cell has to go on a lengthy and strenuous journey. First, it must make its way from the vagina to the cervix, and then it has to swim through the uterus to the fallopian tubes. Once there, if the sperm is the lucky one, it will penetra...

Enter search terms to find related medical topics, multimedia and more. Advanced Search: • Use “ “ for phrases o [ “pediatric abdominal pain” ] • Use – to remove results with certain terms o [ “abdominal pain” –pediatric ] • Use OR to account for alternate terms o [teenager OR adolescent ] Search A-Z During each normal Menstrual Cycle Menstruation is the shedding of the lining of the uterus (endometrium) accompanied by bleeding. It occurs in approximately monthly cycles throughout a woman's reproductive life, except during... read more , one egg (ovum) is usually released from one of the ovaries, about 14 days after the last menstrual period. Release of the egg is called ovulation. The egg is swept into the funnel-shaped end of one of the fallopian tubes. At ovulation, the mucus in the cervix becomes more fluid and more elastic, allowing sperm to enter the uterus rapidly. Within 5 minutes, sperm may move from the vagina, through the cervix into the uterus, and to the funnel-shaped end of a fallopian tube—the usual site of fertilization. The cells lining the fallopian tube facilitate fertilization. If a sperm penetrates the egg, fertilization results. Tiny hairlike cilia lining the fallopian tube propel the fertilized egg (zygote) through the tube toward the uterus. The cells of the zygote divide repeatedly as the zygote moves down the fallopian tube to the uterus. The zygote enters the uterus in 3 to 5 days. If more than one egg is released and fertilized, the pregnancy in...

Internal and external organs of the female reproductive system. What is the female reproductive system? The female reproductive system is the body parts that help women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB): • Have sexual intercourse. • Reproduce. • Menstruate. What are the parts of the female reproductive system? The female reproductive anatomy includes both external and internal parts. External parts The function of your external genitals are to protect the internal parts from infection and allow sperm to enter your vagina. Your vulva is the collective name for all your external genitals. A lot of people mistakenly use the term “vagina” to describe all female reproductive parts. However, your vagina is its own structure located inside your body. The main parts of your vulva or external genitals are: • Labia majora: Your labia majora (“large lips”) enclose and protect the other external reproductive organs. During puberty, hair growth occurs on the skin of the labia majora, which also contain sweat and oil-secreting glands. • Labia minora: Your labia minora (“small lips”) can have a variety of sizes and shapes. They lie just inside your labia majora, and surround the opening to your vagina (the canal that joins the lower part of your uterus to the outside of your body) and urethra (the tube that carries pee from your bladder to the outside of your body). This skin is very delicate and can become easily irritated and swollen. • Clitoris: Your two labia minora meet at y...

Conception marks the first step toward pregnancy—the sperm and egg have joined together, creating what is known as a zygote. In the coming days, the single-cell zygote transforms into a multi-celled embryo. But in order to facilitate pregnancy, the embryo must successfully move from the fallopian tubes and implant in the uterus, where it will continue to develop into a fetus and eventually an infant. This process may happen close to when a couple has sexual intercourse, but it can also occur days after intercourse. That’s because an egg can be fertilized in a 12- to 24-hour window, and sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for up to 72 hours. If you have unprotected sex and ovulate three days later, you can become pregnant. Conception Process When you ovulate, you release an egg from the ovaries. This usually happens around day 14 of the menstrual cycle, or about two weeks before your period is set to begin. Once an egg is released, it stays in the fallopian tubes—the part of the reproductive tract that connects the ovaries to the uterus. If sperm and an egg meet in the fallopian tube, conception is likely to occur. Although hundreds of sperm might surround the egg, only one will break through the egg’s outer layer to fertilize the egg. When that happens, the egg undergoes a change to ensure that no other sperm can permeate or enter it. With conception, the egg and sperm join to make a single-cell embryo that is called a zygote. The zygote then divides to form...

Your fallopian tubes are an important passageway for an egg and a sperm to meet and for a fertilized egg (embryo) to make its way to your uterus. The health of your fallopian tubes impacts your fertility. Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes can make it difficult for individuals and couples to become pregnant. Function What is the role of your fallopian tubes? Your fallopian tubes play an important role in • A holding place for your egg: Each month, one of your ovaries releases a mature egg as part of your menstrual cycle. Finger-like structures at the end of your fallopian tube, called fimbriae, sweep the egg into the tube, where the egg waits to be fertilized. • The site where fertilization happens: If your partner ejaculates during intercourse, their sperm travels through your vagina, cervix, uterus and eventually into your fallopian tubes. Fertilization happens in your fallopian tubes when an egg and sperm meet. • An active passageway that moves a fertilized egg to your uterus: A fertilized egg (embryo) travels through your fallopian tubes until it reaches your uterus, where it can grow into a Can you get pregnant with one fallopian tube? Yes. You may have been born with only one fallopian tube, or you may have had a fallopian tube removed because of a condition or injury. If you have at least one healthy fallopian tube and ovary, and your You can also get pregnant without your fallopian tubes. Anatomy Where are your fallopian tubes? You have two fallopian tubes: One on ...

To become • Sperm transport— The sperm must be deposited and transported to the site of fertilization. • Egg transport— Ovulation must occur and the egg must be "picked up" by the tube. • Fertilization and embryo development— Union between the sperm and egg must result. • Implantation— The embryo must implant and begin to grow in the uterus. These steps are described below. Sperm Transport The transport of sperm depends on several factors: • The sperm must be capable of propelling themselves through the environment of the female vagina and cervix. • This environment, which is under cyclic hormonal control, must be favorable to admit the sperm without destroying them. • The sperm must possess the capability of converting to a form that can penetrate the cell membrane of the egg (capacitation). Following ejaculation, the semen forms a gel that protects it from the acidic environment of the vagina. The gel is liquefied within 20 to 30 minutes by enzymes from the prostate gland. This liquefaction is important for freeing the sperm so transportation may occur. The seminal plasma is left in the vagina. The protected sperm with the greatest motility travel through the layers of cervical mucus that guard the entrance to the uterus. During ovulation, this barrier becomes thinner and changes its acidity, creating a friendlier environment for the sperm. The cervical mucus acts as a reservoir for extended sperm survival. Once the sperm have entered the uterus, contractions propel the ...