Discussed most of this in Chapter 3 First step choosing a mature and

financially stable partner. Children born by choice, rather than by

chance, have a better start in life. Discuss these items with your partner

› Do we share common values and beliefs about children?

› Do we want more than one child, if so how far apart? Two years gives parents a chance to adjust

› How will we balance work and family?

Develop and maintain healthy habits Get a medical check up Get vaccinated – example for rubella Get a dental check up Kick unhealthy habits

•Females are born with thousands of ova or eggs.•Eggs are stored in the ovaries•The uterus is the organ in which an unborn baby develops•An ovum matures once each month and is release by the ovaries – ovulation•The ovum travels intothe fallopian tubes, if it is not fertilized it passesout of the body with menstruation.

•Sperm are produced and stored in the male’s testes at puberty.•Healthy males produce sperm for the rest of their lives.•Testes also produce hormones that stimulate the production of sperm.•Four or five hundred million sperm are released into the female reproductive system. •It is surroundedby a milky fluid - semen

Conception occurs when male and female

reproductive cells unite. Sperm enter the lower

end of the femaleuterus and quickly swim into the fallopian tubesOnly one sperm is successful, at the moment of fertilization

the surface of the ovum seals out remaining spermDeposited sperm can live for 4 to 5 daysA ovum typically survives for 24 to 48 hours.Pregnancy can take place during the four to five daysbefore the ovum is release and about two days after

Couple who are infertile are unable to conceive after trying for 12 months.

8-12 % of couples world wide are infertile 40% of fertility problems are a result of the

male – low sperm production, impaired delivery, and low production of male sex hormone.

Infertility in women can have a variety of causes – hormone imbalance, ova deteriorate in quality as she ages, fallopian tubes can be blocked by scar tissue, or endometriosis a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus is found elsewhere.

Artificial insemination – physician uses a needle to implant sperm at ovulation.

In vitro fertilization – ovum are surgically removed and combined in a laboratory dish with sperm and then placed back in uterus.

Fraternal twins – occur when the ovary release two separate eggs and each is fertilized by different sperm. These twins are the same as regular siblings except they are born at the same time.

Identical twins – result from a single egg is fertilized and then splits into two separate parts. These twins are always the same sex and look very much alike.

Triplets, quadruplets, and other multiples come about the same way. They can be identical, fraternal, or a combination of both.

Multiple births of more than 3 are extremely rare. Most result from fertility treatments.

Multiple births carry a much greater health risk to both mom and children.

Contraception

Contraception is the use of drugs, devices, or techniques to prevent pregnancy. AKA – birth control

Make decisions on contraceptives based on….› Reliability› Safety› Potential health risks

See Types on pages 153 - 154

Heredity is the biological process by which certain traits are transmitted from parents to children.

Genetics is the study of how these traits are passed from parents to children.

The process begins with chromosomes or long threadlike structures that contain 100-1000 genes, which are hereditary units. These genes determine inherited traits in children.

Each human body contains 23 pair of chromosomes or 46 in all. Each ovum and sperm cell contain 23.

When combined the chromosomes create 64 trillion different genetic combinations.

If a gene from one parent differs from that of the other the dominant genes suppresses the recessive gene.

Two of the chromosomes in the reproductive cells are specialized cells to determine gender. The females are alike (XX) while the males are different (XY).

Thus the father is the one to determine the gender of the child.