Only one of about two hundred million sperm "gets" to the awaiting fertilization. Lucky, because he is not only one of the two hundred million, and one of billions have not fulfilled their mission sperm "overall" (if we take into account the numerous attempts to get pregnant). Agree that the meeting of sperm and egg can without exaggeration be called a miracle.

The miracle of conception

Mankind has long chants miracle conception and desire to have children, the offspring. This is the subject dedicated to books, songs and poems. In the folklore of every nation there are fairy tales, legends and parables, one way or another associated with the genes incorporated in the desire for procreation. In some societies, children given to the role of guardians of a sacred kind, they are the epitome of reincarnation of ancestors. In other cultures, conceiving a child and his birth is associated with the lunar cycles and other natural phenomena.

Some women believe that conception can occur only at a certain moment, when their organism is most ready for this, so making enormous efforts to maximize the probability of conception How to increase the probability of conception: the first steps to improve reproductive function   during ovulation Ovulation - How to determine as accurately as possible? . Others believe that conception, pregnancy and childbirth depend only on the higher powers, and they can not influence the course of events, closer, or, conversely, to delay the hour of visiting baby born.

In fact, to conception has occurred, the conditions must be optimal. First of all, the egg must be in a special place, and the sperm must be "in good shape" - mobile, healthy and active. Conception occurs approximately 2 - 36 hours after intercourse. But to turn a fertilized egg into a fully developed embryo still not ideal conditions for conception. It is necessary that the medium in the mother, too, was almost perfect.

Menstrual cycle and its effect on conception

The duration of the monthly menstrual (from the Latin «mene», which means "moon"), a woman's cycle is an average of 26-28 days. The most favorable time to fertilize an egg - ovulation, when the egg is released from the ovary and into the abdominal cavity, where captured the funnel of the fallopian tube. In the fallopian tube meets the egg with the sperm. The fertilization is involved only one sperm nucleus is fused with the nucleus of the egg. From that moment of fertilization and pregnancy begins. Ovulation occurs only once in 28 days and is possible only because a woman's body changes constantly occur that prepare the uterus and the egg to the possibility of conception.

• Ovulation

Many women ovulate like clockwork. But millions of others can not determine with absolute precision the time of ovulation. The ovaries and pituitary gland produces hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, but it is also influenced by other factors, such as general health and psychological stability of women. Any negative impact on a woman's body or mind can lead to a violation of the established nature of the cycle. Poor nutrition (insufficient or incorrect), illness, stress How to beat stress? Create an oasis , Anxiety Anxiety - how to distinguish normal from disease? , Lack of sleep, even dramatic emotional swings (from joy to sadness, or vice versa) - all of which can adversely affect the reproductive capacity of women and frustrate perfectly precise mechanism by which a woman's body.

Many women dream of a child and fanatically trying to conceive, in fact have yourself a disservice. Their effort is to get pregnant, which is why they are often completely ignore other important areas of life of conception. They are trying to create the ideal conditions and with maximum accuracy to predict the time of ovulation, but do not look after their physical and mental state. Nature has its own mechanisms of regulation. As is well known, as a result of natural selection, survival of the fittest, and that gives the strongest offspring. This rule also applies to a person, even in this age of advanced technology. So if you want to get pregnant, but are overweight, smoke, abuse alcohol or put 200% at work (on what your hormones are going wild), to carry out your dream will be difficult, if not impossible.

And you know what happens in the body of the future mother for the first four weeks of pregnancy? Already on the first day the body begins to change and get used to his new status. What happens inside it?

The first and second week

What happens to a child: It may seem strange, but true - doctors consider the gestational age from the beginning of your last menstrual period as determine exactly when conception occurred, it is difficult. So while there is really only your desire to conceive a child

What happens to the future mother: At the beginning of the menstrual cycle Menstrual cycle and its characteristics   in a woman's ovaries ripens about 20 eggs inside the fluid-filled sacs - follicles. One of them matures and ruptures, releasing the egg, which falls into the fallopian tubes Fallopian tubes: an important part of the reproductive system Where for days awaiting fertilization. If this does not occur, the egg dies, and after about two weeks removed from the body during menstruation.

If you are planning to conceive, it is necessary beforehand to undergo a full medical examination and start taking folic acid Folic acid - the value is hard to overestimate   (recommended daily dose - 0.4 mg per day). Start taking it for two months before conception Conception, ovarian cycle, fertilization and genetics of a child , You will significantly reduce the likelihood of developing the child's neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

The third week

What happens to a child: If fertilization is successful, the third week inside you already live embryo, although it is still very small, no bigger than a pinhead. While he did not look like a man - it is a group of about a hundred cells that multiply rapidly and grow. After a while, the outer layer of cells will become the placenta, and the inner - the fruit.

What happens to the future mother: Delays are no monthly, and you're unlikely to notice any signs of pregnancy. However, if you are planning to conceive, you can already buy a pregnancy test.

The fourth week

What happens to the baby: The embryo is still quite small, its length - about 0.035 cm. In the second week of development, it consists of about 150 cells. Used for growth nutrients coming from the wall of the uterus. Functions of the different layers of cells have already been identified - from the outer layers will form the nervous system, skin and hair from domestic - respiratory and digestive organs. From the middle layer is formed skeleton, bones, cartilage, muscles, cardiovascular system, kidneys and reproductive organs.

What happens to the future mother: You probably expect that this week you will begin monthly; If this does not happen, suppose pregnant. This week, many pregnant women short notice smearing bleeding that occurs during the implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall. During this period, the majority of moms feel as usual, but the amniotic sac and placenta, which will provide your baby with oxygen and nutrients, have already begun to emerge.

This week you should do a pregnancy test. In addition, you should start eating a healthy diet and drink at least 1, 5 liters of water a day. During pregnancy, you need to eat every day only 300 calories more than your usual standards, and is not just for two.

Around the ovum is formed watertight cavity which gradually filled with liquid. This is the amniotic sac that protects the growing embryo.

At the same time there is a formation of the placenta, a flat circular body that delivers nutrients from mother to child, and outputs wastes baby. The child is formed rudimentary face with large dark circles on it - later in their place are the eyes. Begin to form the mouth, the lower jaw and throat. Blood cells are taking shape, and the blood in the body of the fetus begins to circulate.