The pregnancy care Planner
Posted on 16 November, 2009 | No Comments
Getting pregnant:
To understand conception and pregnancy, first we should know about the female and male sexual organs as well as the physical process of a woman’s monthly cycle and its formation.
The male sexual organs:
The penis is made of erectile tissue that acts like a sponge and when it becomes filled with blood, it becomes hard and erect. The testes (testicles) are contained in a bag of skin called scrotum which keeps them at a constant temperature that is necessary for the sperm to be produced. Vas deferens (two tubes) carry sperm from the testes to the prostate and other glands which add secretions that are ejaculated along with the sperm. The urethra (a tube) runs down the length of the penis from the bladder, through the prostate gland to an opening at the tip of the penis, where sperm travel down to be ejaculated.
The female sexual organs:
A woman’s external organs are known as the vulva (which includes the opening of the vagina), the inner and outer lips (labia) and the clitoris. Internal organs are made up of pelvis, womb or uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and vagina.
Hormones:
These are chemicals that circulate in your blood regulating certain activities to take place in your body. The female hormones (including oestrogen and progesterone), control the monthly cycle, ie. release of the egg from the ovary and the thickening of womb lining.
Once a woman conceives, the amount of oestrogen and progesterone in her blood increases causing the womb lining to build up, and increases blood supply to the womb and breasts. The muscles of the womb starts to relax to make room for the growing baby.
The woman’s monthly cycle:
When Ovulation occurs each month, an egg is released and begins to travel down the fallopian tube. If a couple has recently had sex, the egg may be fertilised by the male’s sperm. If the egg is not fertilised, it passes out during the woman’s monthly period, also shedding the lining of the womb.
Conception:
Hormones released by the embryo and the ovaries prevent the womb from shedding, because of this reason, women miss their period during pregnancy. During the week after fertilisation, the fertilised egg (embryo) moves slowly down the fallopian tube and into the womb and then starts growing.
The best time to get pregnant:
An egg can live for about 12–24 hours after it’s released. If it is fertilised by a sperm within this time, pregnancy happens. Sperm can live for up to seven days inside a woman’s body.
In most women, ovulation happens 10-16 days before the start of her next period. The menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of a woman’s period (day one). Some time after her period she will ovulate, and then 10-16 days after this, will be her next period. The average menstrual cycle takes 28 days.