PregnancyThere are a number of things that need to fall into place in order to have a baby. Creating a human requires the right environment, the right factors, the right time, and a great deal of luck. The first step occurs when a woman's egg joins with a man's sperm to form an embryo, the beginning of a human being. This process is called conception. After conception, the fertilization process occurs, which is the process in which sperm must be present in the woman's reproductive tract when the egg enters the fallopian tube. This can happen in several ways. If a woman has intercourse with a man during the week before ovulation, he may deposit sperm (a fluid containing sperm) into the woman's vagina. Some sperm can make their way through the cervix (the opening of the uterus, located at the end of the vagina), into the uterus and into the fallopian tubes. There, one of them may encounter the egg as it travels along one of the tubes towards the uterus. Intercourse isn't the only way to get sperm into place. Another way is for the doctor to insert sperm directly into the woman's uterus at the right time in the cycle, a technique called intrauterine insemination. These sperm can also travel up the fallopian tubes, searching for the egg. Furthermore, when the sperm encounter the egg, they attempt to penetrate the outer layer of the egg. When successful, the outer surface of the egg forms a barrier to prevent the penetration of other sperm. The union of sperm and egg is called fertilization. The fertilized egg is the first cell of a new human being. It contains a complete set of genetic information necessary for a child's development. Half of that genetic material comes from the mother, carried in the egg; the other half comes from the father, transported in the sperm. This means that the child will have a combination of characteristics from both parents. The next step after fertilization is the fertilized cell floating down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where the cell divides in two. These two cells then divide to form four cells and the division continues. About a week after fertilization, the growing cluster contains about 100 cells. Now we can say that the woman carrying this embryo is pregnant and the embryo is ready to go through the three trimesters of pregnancy. Tough...... half of the document ......fine motor skills, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Many complications can occur during pregnancy. Some of these complications include birth defects, ectopic pregnancies, preeclampsia, and miscarriage. The most common birth defects are those associated with the brain and spine, heart, and limbs. The other common defect affects the chromosomes in the cells of the fetus. (E.g. Down syndrome.) In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg attaches somewhere other than inside the uterus. Most ectopic pregnancies occur in a fallopian tube. The narrow fallopian tubes are not designed to contain a growing embryo, so the fertilized egg in this type of pregnancy cannot develop normally. Preeclampsia is a condition in which the mother suddenly experiences a sudden increase in blood pressure after about the 7th month of pregnancy. This can be a life-threatening situation for the mother; Doctors usually deliver them prematurely. Miscarriages are usually caused by chromosomal abnormalities, infections, uncontrolled diabetes, uterine abnormalities, or a woman's production of certain antibodies during pregnancy can also cause an early miscarriage.