Transcription
While you release only a single egg each month, your partner releases millions of sperm in a single ejaculation — all with an eye on that single prize. But only one of those sperm will be crowned the victor.
As soon as one lucky sperm cell succeeds in penetrating the egg, the egg immediately undergoes a chemical reaction that prevents other sperm cells from following suit. Then, the chromosomes carried by the sperm and egg come together, and the egg is officially fertilized.
The fertilized egg then begins a rapid descent to the uterus. Over the next seven days, the human embryo undergoes multiple cell divisions in a process called mitosis. At the end of this transition period, the embryo becomes a mass of very organized cells called a blastocyst.
Once the embryo reaches the blastocyst stage, approximately five to six days after fertilization, it breaks out of its protective covering and begins the process of implantation in the uterus. To find out how your baby grows and develops each month, please watch my next video.