Incredibly interesting and eye opening as usual, Katrina! Two questions I have are when sperm begin to instruct placental formation and whether the sperm that does so is the same sperm that fertilized the egg? A fertilized egg takes up to 10 days to implant, during which time any sperm that did not "win the race" will have long died. So it makes sense that only the sperm that wins helps construct the placenta, but perhaps there's something more complicated going on? Cool if you know; no worries if not! Best, Alex
Great questions! I found this explanation from the Cleveland Clinic that I think can answer them:
"The germinal stage is the shortest stage of fetal development. It begins at conception when a sperm and egg join in your fallopian tube. The sperm fertilizes the egg and creates a zygote. The zygote begins its journey down to your uterus over the course of about one week. During this journey, the zygote divides many times, eventually creating two separate structures. One structure eventually becomes the embryo (and later, the fetus) and the other becomes the placenta. "
So, it seems that the "winning" sperm is behind it all! Additionally, based on the research mentioned in my article, the placenta begins forming about 10 days after conception, which aligns with the implantation of the fertilized egg.
I hope that helps! Thank you for asking, and for your kindness. I appreciate you!
Wow! 30% of pregnancies result in miscarriages! I had no idea. And the female reproductive researcher is named Virginia MALE? What are the odds? Interesting and informative article.
Incredibly interesting and eye opening as usual, Katrina! Two questions I have are when sperm begin to instruct placental formation and whether the sperm that does so is the same sperm that fertilized the egg? A fertilized egg takes up to 10 days to implant, during which time any sperm that did not "win the race" will have long died. So it makes sense that only the sperm that wins helps construct the placenta, but perhaps there's something more complicated going on? Cool if you know; no worries if not! Best, Alex
Hiya Alex!
Great questions! I found this explanation from the Cleveland Clinic that I think can answer them:
"The germinal stage is the shortest stage of fetal development. It begins at conception when a sperm and egg join in your fallopian tube. The sperm fertilizes the egg and creates a zygote. The zygote begins its journey down to your uterus over the course of about one week. During this journey, the zygote divides many times, eventually creating two separate structures. One structure eventually becomes the embryo (and later, the fetus) and the other becomes the placenta. "
[source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growth]
So, it seems that the "winning" sperm is behind it all! Additionally, based on the research mentioned in my article, the placenta begins forming about 10 days after conception, which aligns with the implantation of the fertilized egg.
I hope that helps! Thank you for asking, and for your kindness. I appreciate you!
Wow! 30% of pregnancies result in miscarriages! I had no idea. And the female reproductive researcher is named Virginia MALE? What are the odds? Interesting and informative article.
My wife and I have two children out of three pregnancies, so yes we certainly experienced that percentage!