2 Weeks Pregnant
YOU
Ovulation
Around the end of week two, or 14 days before the
anticipated start of your next period, one of your ovaries will
release an egg (ovum) which begins to travel down your fallopian
tubes. Your egg will live for about 24-48 hours after being
released from the ovary. It must be fertilised during this time if
you are going to conceive.
At this stage of ovulation your body increases its production of
hormones to prepare your uterus to receive and nourish a
fertilised egg. Increased oestrogen levels cause your uterus to
form a blood rich lining of tissue called the endometrium.
Increased progesterone levels help to prepare your uterus to
support a fertilised egg. The mucus in your cervix will also thin
out, forming a welcoming environment for sperm and promoting
fertilization.
Fertilisation
Fertilisation occurs in the outer part of the fallopian
tube. During intercourse your partner will release between 200-500
million sperm; fertilization will occur if just one of these sperm
fuses with the egg your body has released. As soon as this
fertilisation occurs, the outer layer of your egg (now called a
zygote) will harden and all other sperm will drop off. Your egg
then starts its cell division process whilst continuing down the
fallopian tube towards the uterus.
YOUR BABY
The sex of your baby is determined the moment your egg is
fertilised.
The human body is made up of 46 chromosomes that carry our genetic
information. The sperm and egg each have 23 chromosomes which fuse
to form the 46-chromosome blastocyst, the name for this first group
of cells which will become your baby. Your baby's gender is
determined by just two of these chromosomes, one from your egg and
one from your partner's sperm. Female eggs always carry the X
(female) chromosome, but sperm can have either an X (female) or Y
(male) chromosome, hence determining whether your baby will be a
boy or a girl. If your egg is fertilised by a sperm carrying the X
chromosome, your baby will be a girl (XX). If your egg is
fertilised by a sperm carrying the Y chromosome, your baby will be
a boy (XY).
Once your egg is fertilized, your baby continues to form rapidly,
his or her cells continuing to divide as they continue their
journey to the uterus.
Facebook
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