Why do we learn about
contraceptives?

Why are contraceptives used in family planning?
 If
pregnancies aren’t planned, couples who are fertile
will have a child EVERY 14 MONTHS for 25 YEARS.
 This will make you the parent of 21 children
The Duggars (19 Kids and Counting)
Why do we learn about
contraceptives?

Other reasons:
 Experts
in child development recommend 3-4 years
between children
 Less than 2 years of spacing is difficult for mothers who
need time for their bodies to return to normal
 Two children under the age of 2 can create added
stress on the family
CONCEPTION AND GENES
Developing Child; Teaching Sexuality Canada
Conception

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About once each month, an ovum (female cell or
egg) is released by one of a woman’s ovaries.
The egg moves through the fallopian tube to the
uterus, the organ where the baby develops during
pregnancy.
The journey takes about two or three days.
When the egg reaches the uterus, it usually
disintegrates and is flushed out of the body with the
menstrual flow (or period).
The Menstrual Cycle
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Conception

Sometimes, however, the egg meets and is fertilized
by a sperm or male cell.
Sperm Production
Adapted from Sexuality: An Education Resource Book, Canada: Globe/Modem Curriculum Press, page 241
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Conception

When the ovum and sperm unite, conception takes
place, and pregnancy begins.
Fertilization
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Fertilization


Fertilization can take place only two or three days
after the ovum has been released.
However, sperm can live up to seven days so there
is actually a period of about 10 days each month
during which a female can become pregnant.
Fetal Development

The baby’s development is often grouped into three
stages:
 Period
of the Zygote
 Period of the Embryo
 Period of the Fetus
Period of the Zygote






Zygote: fertilized egg
This period lasts about 2 weeks
The Zygote travels down the fallopian tube and
attaches itself to the thickened lining of the uterus.
This lining provides a soft, warm bed for the zygote
to draw nourishment from the mother’s body.
The zygote grows by cell division. (12; 24)
By the end of 2 weeks the zygote is the size of a
pinhead.
Implantation
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
The Genetic Package

Each person inherits many characteristics from his or
her parents.
 Physical
Build
 Skin Colour
 Hair Texture and Color
 Eye Colour and Shape
 Ear Shape and Size
 Blood Type
 Musical ability
 Medical conditions
The Genetic Package

How does this happen?
 Heredity:
characteristics a child receives from parents.
 At conception, every human baby receives 46
chromosomes: tiny threadlike particles in the nucleus of
every cell.
 These chromosomes come in 23 pairs.
 The father’s sperm and the mother’s ovum both
contribute a chromosome to each pair.
 Each chromosome has thousands of genes, the units that
determine the child’s inherited characteristics.

CELL: Basic unit of all living matter (Adult = over 10 trillion cells)
CYTOPLASM: Substance of a cell outside of the nucleus
NUCLEUS: Central point of cell /
contains genetic coding for maintaining
life systems and issuing commands for
growth & reproduction
CHROMOSOMES:
46 in each Nucleus (23 pairs)
GENES: bands on chromosomes
(thousands of genes)
DNA on genes (billions of DNA)
The Genetic Package


For every inherited characteristic, a person receives
two copies of a gene—one from the mother, one
from the father.
When both are the same, the child has that
characteristic.


DOMINATE Gene: More powerful - trait seen in person
RECESSIVE Gene: Weaker and hides in the background. Trait can only
determine when two of them are present - may show up in future generations.


CARRIER: Has a recessive gene that is not visible
SEX-LINKED: Mother passes the recessive X to son

Color-blind male receives the trait from his mother.

The mother is usually not color-blind herself.

B = BROWN eyes (dominate)
b = BLUE eyes (recessive)

BB = BROWN eyes

bb = BLUE eyes

Bb = BROWN eyes but carry the recessive BLUE eye gene
The Genetic Package
Dominant Traits

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Tongue Rolling
Free Earlobes
Brown Hair
Curly Hair
Brown Eyes
Dimples
Freckles
Widow’s Peak Hairline
Broad Lips
Recessive Traits

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Non-tongue rolling
Attached Earlobes
Blonde Hair
Straight Hair
Blue Eyes
No Dimples
No Freckles
No Widow’s Peak
Thin Lips
Making A Unique Person


Heredity explains why brothers and sisters often
resemble each other—and why they can look quite
different.
Each sperm or egg cell contains a different
combination of genes. When they combine in a
fertilized egg, they produce a unique individual.
Genetics - Sex Determination
Adapted from Sexuality: An Education Resource Book, Canada: Globe/Modem Cirriculum Press, page 289
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Sex Chromosomes




Female Sex Cells
XX
(Ovum or Egg)
Male Sex Cells XY
(Sperm)
Baby Girl = XX Baby Boy = XY
Gender is determined by the father!

Someone should have told King Henry VIII!
Joke
A woman had identical twins and gave them up for
adoption. One of them went to a family in Egypt and
was named “Amal”. The other went to a family in
Spain and was named “Juan”. Years later, Juan sent a
picture of himself to his mom. Upon receiving the
picture, she told her husband that she wished she also
had a picture of Amal. Her husband responded, “But
they are twins! It you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal!
Multiple Births




Sometimes a pregnant woman gives birth to more than
one baby. This is set at conception or soon after.
Sometimes the mass of cells splits in half soon after
fertilization.
Each clump of cells continues to divide and grow into a
separate embryo resulting in IDENTICAL TWINS.
They are always the same sex and have very similar
characteristics because they both began as one zygote.
Identical Twins
Adapted from Sexuality: An Education Resource Book, Canada: Globe/Modem Cirriculum Press, page 301
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Multiple Births




FRATERNAL TWINS form when two eggs are
released at the same time and each is fertilized.
They grow side by side in the uterus.
Because they result from the union of different eggs
and sperm, fraternal twins are no more alike in
term of heredity than any other siblings.
Unlike identical twins, they may even be opposite
sexes.
Adapted from Sexuality: An Education Resource Book, Canada: Globe/Modem Cirriculum Press, page 302
Copyright 2009 – Alberta Health Services – www.teachingsexualhealth.ca
Kian and Remee
Kian and Remee

How did this happen?
 Two
eggs were fertilized at the same time
 Both father and mother were mixed race
 Mothers


are both white; Fathers are both black
Kian inherited black genes while Remee inherited
the white genes.
The odds of this happening are 1,000,000 to 1
Multiple Births


In the case of CONJOINED TWINS, Ovum splits
apart, but the separation is not completed.
Babies are joined at some part of their bodies.
General Facts on Multiples in Canada



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Incidence of twins is 1 in 90 births (without fertility
treatments)
Incidence of triplets is 1 in 8,100 births (without
fertility treatments)
Incidents of quadruplets is 1 in 729,000 births
(without fertility treatments)
Incidence of quintuplets is 1 in 65,610,000 births
(without fertility treatments)
What 4 FACTORS may contribute to Multiple
Births?
1) History in the family
 2) Increased hormones naturally
More than 1 egg released
 3) Fertility Drugs
More than 1 egg released to increase
likelihood of conceiving. This has
caused an increase in the rate of
multiple births.
 4) Age 32-36

Infertility



Not all couples who want to have children are able
to become pregnant.
People who have problems with fertility often feel
they aren’t normal. Many feed that they are alone
in facing this situation.
Medical and counseling support can help them
overcome these feelings.
Options for Infertile Couples

Adoption


Artificial Insemination


Taking legal responsibilities and rights for a child already
born.
Doctor injects sperm into a woman’s uterus with a special
needle. Sperm may be husbands or donor’s.
In vitro fertilization
Used when woman has damaged fallopian tubes (or other
reasons).
 In a small glass dish, a doctor combines a mature egg and
sperm. If fertilization takes place the doctor placed the
zygote in the woman’s uterus. If the zygote attaches itself to
the uterus, a normal pregnancy takes place.

Options for Infertile Couples

Ovum Transfer


This procedure uses and egg taken from a female donor
and in vitro fertilization. It may be used by women who lack
working ovaries or who have inherited disorders.
Surrogate Mother
A woman becomes pregnant for another couple. She may
carry a couple’s fertilized egg removed from the biological
mother because she is unable to carry a pregnancy to
completion.
 Other surrogates are artificially inseminated with sperm
from the husband of an infertile woman.
 This process usually includes legal arrangements.

Questions Raised




As technology continues to advance, other options
may be available.
However, not everyone thinks these alternatives are
acceptable.
The use of ovum transfers or surrogate mothers is
especially controversial.
These practices may raise ethical issues.