Preview

The Sperm and the Egg

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
763 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Sperm and the Egg
The Sperm and the Egg
PSY/265
January 20, 2013

The Sperm and the Egg To answer the questions of how babies are made and where do babies come from you first need an understanding to what makes up the female sex organs and how they work as well as knowing what makes up the male sex organs and how they work.
A male has external and internal sex organs. The external sex organs for the male consist of the penis and the scrotum (also known as the ball sack). The internal sex organs of a man consist of the testicles (also known as the balls) and their attachments which are contained inside the scrotum. The penis contains what they call erectile tissue that runs along the top and the bottom of the penis. When these tissue areas fill with blood it makes the penis grow and stiffen creating an erection. Just like a man a female has internal and external sex organs. The external sex organs consist of the mons veneris, the major and minor lips, the clitoris, and the vaginal opening. The internal female sex organs consist of the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the uterus, and the vagina. The ovaries produce the eggs and the female hormones. The fallopian tubes provide the passageway for the eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. The fallopian tubes also provide a passageway for the sperm so that they can fertilize the egg. Now the uterus will either expand with a growing baby after fertilization of the egg, or it will shed the inner lining (also known as the menstrual cycle or period). Now the vagina provides a passageway for the menstrual cycle, as well as a passageway for the baby during birth, and a receptacle for the man’s penis and his ejaculated sperm.
When your father and I decided to expand our family by adding another baby, we first had to take a look at my menstrual cycle (also known as period) to find out when would be the best time to try to conceive you. There are three phases in a woman’s menstrual cycle, the ovulatory phase, the secretory phase, and the



References: Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J. S., & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2011). Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity (8th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Sperm and the Egg

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    |Describe the life of a sperm and the life of an egg from start to finish | | |…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Egg and Sperm

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This is a story about Zak the Sperm, and Zoie the Egg. This is an exciting day for Zak and Zoie because they are going to get fertilized today. Fertilization is the moment Zak and Zoie fuse together and a new individual begins to form. Zoie has been waiting for this day for 32 years, since her egg was produced when she was in the fetal ovaries, along with five million others, but today she is the chosen one! Zak feels like he has won the lotto because he is the only one out of 500 million mobile sperm discharged today (Rathus, Nevid, and Fichner-Rathus, 2011.), in one ejaculation that will get to fertilize.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J.S., and Fichner-Rathus, L. (2005). Human sexuality in a world of diversity. (6th ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Each month inside your ovaries, a group of eggs starts to grow. Eventually one of the eggs erupts from the follicle and this is known as ovulation. It usually happens about two weeks before your next period. A hormone is released that helps thicken the lining of your uterus, getting it ready for the egg. After the egg is released, it moves into the fallopian tube. When a sperm does make its way into the Fallopian tube and burrow into the egg, it fertilises the egg. The egg changes so that no other sperm can get in. The egg stays in the Fallopian tube for about three to four days, but within 24 hours of being fertilised it starts dividing very fast into many cells. It keeps dividing as it moves slowly through the fallopian tube to the uterus. The developing collection of cells is now called an embryo and is attached to the wall of the uterus by a placenta. Chemicals are released to prevent the women having another menstrual period.…

    • 3000 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cited: Rathus, S. Human sexuality in a world of diversity. (8 ed.). Allyn & Bacon.…

    • 1461 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Chapter 8 The cellular Basis of Reproduction Inheritance Rain Forest Rescue • Scientists in Hawaii are attempting to "rescue" endangered species from extinction by promoting reproduction • Reproduction is one phase of an organism's life cycle – Sexual reproduction • Fertilization of sperm and egg produces Offspring – Asexual reproduction • Offspring are produced by a single parent, without the participation of sperm and egg • Cell division is at the heart of organismal reproduction -CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CELL DIVISION AND REPRODUCTIOn 8.1 Like begets like, more or less • Asexual reproduction – Chromosomes are duplicated and cell divides – Each daughter cell is genetically identical to the parent and the other daughter • Sexual reproduction – Each offspring inherits a unique combination of genes from both parents – Offspring can show great variation 8.2 Cells arise only from preexisting cells • "Every cell from a cell" is at the heart of the perpetuation of life – Can reproduce an entire unicellular organism – Is the basis of sperm and egg formation – Allows for development from a single fertilized egg to an adult organism – Functions in an organism's renewal and Repair 8.3 Prokaryotes reproduce by binary fission • Prokaryotic cells reproduce asexually by a type of cell division called binary fission – Genes are on one circular DNA molecule – The cell replicates its single chromosome – The chromosome copies move apart – The cell elongates – The plasma membrane grows inward, dividing the parent into two daughter cells THE EUKARYOTIC CELL CYCLE AND MITOSIS 8.4 The large, complex chromosomes of eukaryotes duplicate with each cell division • Eukaryotic genes – Many more…

    • 3113 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When they do, the egg automatically changes to prevent the other sperm from entering by putting up a protective shield which cover the egg right after the sperm has penetrated it. Now comes the process of fertilisation… A new cell starts dividing at a rapid speed when the genetic material from the mother’s egg and father’s sperm are combined. These cells are known as blastocyst. This travels down to the woman’s fallopian tubes, heading to the uterus. The journey itself can take up to three days or more. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean the woman is pregnant- it’s only when the blastocyst has attached itself on the woman’s uterus and then that then develops into an embryo and a placenta. After a few weeks, the woman will miss her period, which will indicate she’s…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The aim of the female reproductive system is to produce mature oocytes which match with the male spermatocyte to create offspring. Fertilisation most commonly occurs in the fallopian tubes, though this can also occur later in a female’s menstrual cycle if the egg has already moved down into the uterus, though there is a higher chance of miscarriage as the lining of the womb may continue to shed. The external female reproduction features have two functions; to allow insemination and to also protect against infection and injury. These structures include; the labia majora, which contains glands that produce sweat, the labia minora which surrounds the opening of the vagina and urethra, bartholin's glands which are just behind the vaginal…

    • 2545 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Sperm and the Egg

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages

    References: Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J.S., & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2011). Human sexuality in a world of diversity (8th ed.) Boston,…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Distinguished Distinction

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages

    From fetus our genitals are the same. Our genitals form within the first six weeks. XX or XY chromosomes are the contributing factors to the differences in the development of our genitals. As we grow the male and female body begins to produce hormones. These hormones are testosterone and estrogen. Males produce more testosterone and females produce more estrogen. Our bodies produce these hormones and many others. Hormones affect how the body reacts. These reactions reveal the similarities and differences between males and females. This exchange process produces the differences between our biological chemistry (Spencer, 1999).…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A human baby’s life begins at conception. A woman usually develops 1 egg per month, roughly this happens 2 weeks after her last period. A women is most likely to get pregnant within a day or so of ovulation. An egg lives for about 12-24 hours after its released. For a woman to actually get pregnant the egg needs to be fertilized by a sperm cell within this time.…

    • 6075 Words
    • 25 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pregnancy begins when a sperm penetrates an egg. One to one and a half days later, the single fertilised egg cell begins to divide. After two or three days there are enough new cells to make the fertilised egg the same size as a pin head. The collection of cells travels to the lining of the uterus where it becomes anchored. The developing collection of cells is now called an embryo which is attached the wall of the uterus by the placenta.…

    • 3034 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    egg and sperm

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the article, " The Egg and the Sperm" by Emily Martin, the author attempts to shed light on the gender stereotypes hidden within the scientific language of our biology textbooks. I found this article to be very intriguing because, as a nursing student, I've been exposed to many medical and biology textbooks and it has never occurred to me that cultural beliefs could influence how a biologist described their discoveries. I had no idea that within the scientific accounts of reproductive biology, there could be a hidden stereotype implying that the male reproductive system is more dominant and active in its role than the female reproductive system. When I first began reading this article, I was a bit skeptical and thought that the author might have taken her ideas way a little far by thinking in between the lines. But the more I read and learned about the recent discoveries especially the one by John Hopkins University, I was convinced that there may be some truth to her assumptions. I was surprised to learn how some biological texts used positive connotations to portray the sperms as active, brave adventurer whereas using negative connotations like "ceasing" , "expelling" and "disintegrating" to describe an unfertilized egg to imply that it has gone to waste (Martin, pg. 2). In the article, Martin points out that majority of the sources describe the fertilization process as the egg having an impenetrable barrier called the "Zona Pellucida" and the sperm playing an active role in penetrating the barrier by mechanically burrowing and forcing its way through into the cell. Later on, research showed that it is actually the egg playing a more active process it acts an adherent to the head of the sperm which is a protein layer. Research has shown that sperm is not able to penetrate and thrust forward, it can only move sideways and once attached to the egg the sperm releases enzymes that can dissolve the Zona (Martin, pg.9). Although research suggests that both…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In women the external organs in the reproductive system are the clitoris, labia minora and Bartholin's glands. The internal organs are the vagina and the uterus. The uterus acts as the replacement for semen. Also, the ovaries produce the female’s ova (eggs). The vagina is attached to the uterus through the cervix, while the fallopian tubes connect the uterus to the ovaries. In response…

    • 2481 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Minnesota V. Riff

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    References: 1. Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J.S., and Fichner-Rathus, L. (2011). Human sexuality in a world of diversity (8th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays