embryo

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 […]

Ultrasounds (a.k.a. obstetric sonography) are a medical technology which use high-frequency sound waves to produce an image of the inside of your body. These images are called sonograms and because they are in real time you can observe movement occurring inside of your body. That means you can see your baby moving! Ultrasounds, like any […]

A fetus is the scientific term for your baby after he has completed the embryonic stage and before he is born. In other words your baby is considered a fetus between week 10 and week 40. Unlike the zygotic and embryonic stages of your baby’s development, your fetus actually looks human. Congrats mum and dad […]

Your baby is scientifically known as a zygote for about 5-7 days after fertilisation. A zygote is best explained as the cell that results from the fusion of two gametes. In the case of your baby, the gametes are your partner’s sperm and your egg. Zygotes carry the genetic information which will determine what your […]

Between week 3 and week 10 your baby is in the embryonic stage of his development, which means the scientific term for your baby at this time is an embryo. The development of the embryo is known as embryogenesis. The zygote which forms after fertilisation undergoes mitosis for about 5 to 7 days until it […]

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. […]

An ectopic or tubal pregnancy is a pregnancy in which the fertilised egg implants outside of the uterine cavity. The egg will usually implant in the fallopian tube, but other ectopic pregnancies include implantation in the ovaries, the cervix and the horns of the uterus. Unfortunately, ectopic pregnancies have become more common since the mid-1980s […]