Term | Definition |
sperm | produced by a male organism that unites with the egg of a female organism forming a zygote. Supplement. |
ova | the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual. |
gonads | pertain to the anatomical part of the body where sex cells (gametes) are synthesized. |
gametes | re the cells used during sexual reproduction to produce a new individual organism or zygote. |
testes | produce and store sperm and are also the body's main source of male hormones, such as testosterone. |
ovaries | the female gonad or reproductive gland, in which the ova and the hormones that regulate female secondary sex characteristics develop. |
testosterone | a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. |
estrogen | are hormones that are important for sexual and reproductive development, mainly in women. |
progesterone | that is secreted by the corpus luteum to prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus |
fertilization | A process in sexual reproduction that involves the union of male (sperm) and female (ovum) gametes (each with a single, haploid set of chromosomes) to produce a diploid zygote |
zygote | The cell formed by the union of a male sex cell (a sperm) and a female sex cell (an ovum) |
menopause | the time when there has been no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or physiological cause can be identified. |
fallopian tube/oviduct | Either of a pair of slender tubes from each ovary to the side of the fundus of the uterus, through which the ova pass |
uterus | A hollow muscular organ consisting of a body, fundus, isthmus, and cervix located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals, in which the fertilized egg implants and develops into the fetus. |
implantation | refers specifically to the attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterine lining, which occurs approximately 6 or 7 days after conception |
placenta | is a flattened circular organ in the uterus of pregnant mammals that nourishes and maintains the fetus through the umbilical cord. |
ovulation | The discharge of a secondary oocyte from a vesicular follicle of the ovary. The expulsion of an ovum from the ovary (usually midway in the menstrual cycle) |
embryo | an organism in early stages of development, before hatching from an egg. |
semen | The slimy whitish fluid comprised of sperm cells and secretions from the sexual glands released at orgasm through the male reproductive organ |
| The normal process by which a less specialized cell develops or matures to become more distinct in form and function. |