How do you get pregnant?

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Ovulation, which only takes about two minutes to complete, usually occurs 14 days after the onset of the period in a 28 day cycle. Ovulation always occurs 14 days BEFORE the onset of your period. The egg is capable of being fertilized for 24 hours. If fertilization doesn't occur, the egg dies. A small amount of bleeding can occur with the rupture of the follicle.

Women ovulate approximately 400 times from puberty to menopause. All the eggs not ovulated by menopause have died. Ovaries also do not necessarily take turns in releasing eggs. If one ovary is surgically removed, the remaining ovary will produce an egg a month.

The testes is where sperm are formed. The new sperm travel through the epididymis, behind each testis, where they mature. The mature sperm travel through a tube called the vas deferens through the seminal vesicle, a sac near the bladder. In the seminal vesicle, semen is added. The semen-sperm mixture (ejaculate) passes through the prostate and joins the urethra. The ejaculate travels through the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the end of the penis), and is discharged.

Contrary to women, who usually produce only one egg a month, men are capable of producing billions of sperm. Even though the numbers can decrease after the age of forty, men are capable of producing sperm from puberty well into life. Men can be fathers in their eighties and nineties. Sperm can live in the vagina, cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes for up to five days. Only a few hundred of the 250 million healthy sperm reach the egg. It takes about two hours to make the entire journey to the egg; however, some sperm are Olympic swimmers and can reach the egg in a half an hour. If no egg is available to fertilize, the sperm swim around patiently waiting to bump into one. Because there is no chemical or physical attraction of the sperm for the egg, the sperm literally must bump into the egg.

Before ovulation occurs, the fimbria (finger-like ends) of the fallopian tube are positioned over the ovary (see above illustration). These fimbria move along the ovary until a follicle containing the ripened egg is found. The lining of a fallopian tube contains millions of hair-like projections, called cilia, that move back and forth creating suction. When ovulation occurs this suction sweeps up the egg, along with some of the fluid that has surrounded the egg in the follicle. The chemicals in the fluid signal the muscles of the fallopian tube to contract. These contractions propel the egg gently toward the uterus. After the egg is in the fallopian tube, it continues to ripen and prepare itself for the sperm. The egg is surrounded by a nourishing shell which the sperm must penetrate. Each of the hundreds of sperm work hard to penetrate the shell, layer by layer. Suddenly, one sperm breaks through the shell and instantly a chemical reaction takes place, making it impossible for any other sperm to penetrate. The area of the egg containing the mother's genetic contribution (chromosomes) and the area of the sperm containing dad's genetic contribution combine to begin a brand- new, unique individual. About 24 hours after fertilization, the first division of the newly formed cell takes place. The dividing ball of cells continues to travel down the fallopian tube toward the uterus where it will implant and grow.

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Excerpts from: The Family Pregnancy © 1995: MJ Bovo, The Family Pregnancy, Second Edition, currently in production, and Do You Have Any Questions? © 1995: MJ Bovo, are contained within this page. Reprints are not permitted under any circumstances. Please see Terms of Use for full expanation. Violations of the Copyright Code are taken seriously and appropriate action IS TAKEN AGAINST VIOLATERS.