How Does Pregnancy Happen?
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The first stage of pregnancy is conception. Men create new sperm in their testicles every day. When a man ejaculates, millions of sperm are released in fluid called semen. A woman will release an egg from one of her ovaries once a month. It will travel down a passageway, called a fallopian tube, toward the uterus. During vaginal sex, the man's erect penis moves in and out of the vagina. At orgasm and ejaculation, millions of sperm shoot up into the vagina. They travel through the cervix and into the uterus. From there, they travel up the fallopian tubes and, hopefully, meet the egg. When a sperm and egg join it is called fertilization. - 1). A pregnancy doesn't start until the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus. A women's monthly cycle causes the body to thicken the lining of the uterus to prepare for a fertilized egg. If an egg doesn't attach, then the body will expel the lining and that is what causes your period. Once the fertilized egg is attached to the lining, it will begin to divide and become an embryo. The placenta develops as the embryo grows into a fetus. The placenta connects mother to child and supplies nutrients to the fetus and expels waste.
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The body will go through many changes during pregnancy. A pregnant woman will gain weight to help keep the fetus growing and protected. She will produce more blood for herself and the baby. Her breasts will enlarge and become ready to produce milk. In one of the final preparations for delivery, the ligaments and muscles attached to the pelvic bone will begin to relax. The entire event, from sex to labor, takes about 40 weeks.
