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Chapter 10 – Human Reproduction Fallopian tube The male reproductive system Gland which makes seminal fluid Ovary Vagina Sperm duct Penis Uterus Ovary Produces egg cells. Produces sex hormones. Testis Testis Makes sperm cells and sex hormones. Fallopian tube Carries the egg from the ovary to the uterus. Sperm cell Made in testes. The male gamete (sex cell) Vagina Holds the penis during intercourse. Sperm duct Carries the sperm cells from the testes. Uterus Also called the womb. Holds and protects the baby during pregnancy. Glands Produce fluids for the sperm cells to move about in and also food supply. Cervix Opening of the uterus. Puberty – The time between the ages of 10 and 15 when hormone changes, in both boys and girls, cause the body to mature. In boys Voice deepens Growth of hair on face, chest, and underarms. Sex organs mature. Sperm cells made. 1 G. Nugent In girls Breasts develop, Growth of body hair, Eggs mature and released, Periods start and menstrual cycle starts. The menstrual cycle From early teenage years up to the menopause, in her late forties, a woman will undergo a series of monthly changes, which will affect her reproductive system and her health and well-being generally. This series of monthly changes is often referred to as her menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle occurs in a number of stages. The fertile period This is the time in the month in which a woman is most likely to become pregnant if she has sexual intercourse. Sperm cells can survive for 3 days. Egg cells can survive 4 days. If a woman has sexual intercourse three days before ovulation the sperm cells may still be viable when the egg appears in the tube. If she has sexual intercourse up to four days after she ovulates, the egg may still be viable and pregnancy may occur. This means that there is a time from about day 11 up to day 18 when she is most fertile i.e. The fertile period. 1. Menstruation 2. Repair stage (period) Day 1 – 5 Day 6 – 13 Shedding of Extra lining extra lining of builds up on the the uterus. uterus. Blood loss. Unfertilised egg passed out. 4. Rest stage However, this assumes that the egg is released at precisely the same time each month. But this not always the case, it can be early or late. So there is no definite way of telling. How a baby is made 1. Sexual intercourse During intercourse, the man’s becomes filled with blood. This causes an erection which allows the penis to be placed inside the vagina. A mixture of sperm cells and seminal fluid (semen) is ejaculated from the penis at the opening of the uterus, the cervix. 3. Ovulation Day 15 – 28 Day 14 The extra The egg is lining stays built released from up in case the ovary into fertilisation the fallopian occurs. tube. 2. Fertilisation The sperm cells, 200 million of them, swim up through the uterus towards the fallopian tube. 2 G. Nugent Only a few thousand make it to the egg. Several sperm cells surround the egg cell but only one fertilises it. Fertilisation is the fusion of the male sperm cell and the female egg cell to form a zygote. Fertilisation takes place only in the fallopian tube. It gets all its food and oxygen through and umbilical cord and placenta. Wastes and carbon dioxide also pass out this way. In this way the baby continues to grow until birth 4. Birth The birth process begins with contractions of the uterus (labour). The amniotic sac bursts and the contractions increase in severity. The mother must push with the contractions to push the baby out. Eventually, the baby will be born, head first. The umbilical cord is cut and clamped. The placenta passes out shortly afterwards. 3. Pregnancy Once fertilisation occurs the woman’s periods will stop and she will not menstruate until after the baby is born. Pregnancy lasts, on average, 40 weeks. After a week, the baby is a ball of 200 cells, and implants itself (buries itself) in the wall of the uterus (this where the extra lining is needed). For the next 40 weeks the baby gets all it needs from its mother with the help of this lining. After 8 weeks the baby is a fully formed, but miniature, version of a new-born baby. Fertilisatio n occurs here Baby grows here Egg is released from here The baby is held in a fluid-filled sac (called the amniotic sac) which protects it. 3 G. Nugent Genetics Genetics is the study of the inheritance of characteristics. Many of our physical characteristics are passed from generation to generation e.g. hair colour, eye colour, height etc. The nuclei of ordinary human body cells contain 46 chromosomes, found as 23 pairs of chromosomes. These chromosomes are chemicals which appear as thin threads in the nucleus, when viewed under the microscope. They are made of protein and a chemical called DNA. Each chromosome is divided into segments called genes. Each gene controls a different characteristic. Genes Chromosome Genes can be dominant or recessive. A Dominant gene always shows in the physical appearance of the person. A recessive gene is hidden if the dominant gene is present. 4 G. Nugent