Prenatal Development
• Lasts approximately 266 days
• Three Periods:
Germinal
Embryonic
Fetal
Germinal Period
• First two weeks after conception
• Includes the creation of the zygote,
continued cell division, and the
attachment of the zygote to the uterine
wall
Germinal Period
• Blastocyst: groups of cells that will
eventually become the embryo
• Implantation of the zygote to the uterine
wall occurs 6 days after conception
Embryonic Period
• Occurs three to eight weeks after
conception
• Blastocyst attaches to uterine wall; now
called an embryo
• Cell differentiation intensifies, support
systems for the cells form, and organs
appear
Embryonic Period
• Organogenesis: name given to the
process of organ formation during the first
two months of prenatal development
Life Support Systems
• Amnion: bag-like structure that contains a clear
fluid in the which the embryo floats
• Chorion: membrane that surrounds the amnion
and attaches villi to the uterine lining to gather
nourishment; becomes the placenta
• Placenta: tissue fed by blood vessels from
mother and connected to the embryo
• Umbilical Cord: connects the placenta to the
embryo
Fetal Period
• 9th week of pregnancy until birth
• Proliferation of neurons
• Neuron differentiation: depends on
migration
• Stem cell: unspecified cell
• Age of viability
Arousal Patterns
• Relationship between fetal physiology
and infant temperament
Prenatal Testing
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Ultrasound Sonography
Chorionic Villus Sampling
Amniocentesis
Maternal Blood Screening
Infertility and Reproductive
Technology
• 10 to 15 percent of US couples experience
infertility
• Infertility: inability to conceive after 12
months
• May be caused by man or woman
• Options for addressing infertility