DNA

CVS or chorionic villus sampling is a diagnostic, prenatal test used to test for chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus between week 10 and week 14 of pregnancy. It is preferred to amniocentesis if you are less than 15 weeks pregnant, but need to check for abnormalities. In CVS, samples of the chorionic villi (the extensions […]

Mitosis is a type of cellular division which not only takes place during pregnancy, but also throughout our lives. In mitosis the DNA of each cell (which is normally made up of 46 chromosomes in a human) replicates so that there are 92 chromosomes. Once the DNA has replicated the cell splits into two diploid […]

Conception is the more colloquial term for fertilisation, a 3 step process, which occurs during the first two weeks of pregnancy and ends with the fusion of the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg or ovum. Step 1 involves the production of gametes, the cells which carry all of the genetic information necessary for reproduction. […]

Fertilisation is the more scientific term for conception, a 3 step process, which occurs during the first two weeks of pregnancy and ends with the fusion of the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg or ovum. Step 1 involves the production of gametes, the cells which carry all of the genetic information necessary for reproduction. […]