In order to fertilize the egg, the sperm must enter the female body and make its way to the fallopian tubes, where the female germ cells are located. The eggs themselves are a kind of fortress, as they are covered with a special membrane, which represents a serious barrier to penetration. Therefore, more than one million sperm are sent to storm it. As soon as one (2-3) of them is inside the egg, a number of chemical-biological and chemical-physical processes take place in it, which close the “window” formed after its penetration. From the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, a long embryo development process begins , consisting of several stages, one of which will help to find the answer to the question: "Why is the embryonic period also called the embryonic?"
Stages of embryo development
The stages of development of the embryo are called trimesters, as they reflect three consecutive periods of development of a fertilized egg inside the body of a woman. So, we consider the features of each stage of development of the embryo.
Pre-embryonic stage. As a rule, its duration is 2-3 weeks. During this period, the future man begins cell division, and he begins to move to the uterus, where it attaches to one of the walls, destroying its mucous membrane by the secreted enzymes and literally growing into it. Since the dividing cells do not yet have the exact location and shape of a person, the first trimester cannot explain why the embryonic period is also called the germinal period.
The embryonic stage begins at the sixth week of pregnancy. The embryo is already turning into a full-fledged living embryo, since it forms all the basic systems and organs of the unborn baby. That is why the embryonic period is also called the germinal period.
The fetal stage begins from the 8th week of pregnancy. During the third period, the embryo is called "fetus" ("humanoid"), since it has already acquired the outline of a person. The fetal stage continues until the birth of the baby.
In itself, the development of a human embryo leads to a mobile and more intensive work of all organs and systems of a pregnant woman. This happens in order to ensure normal functioning of the fetus and growth. The fetus also has a number of special mechanisms that help it adapt to survival in adverse conditions. So, for example, to obtain the necessary amount of oxygen, the number of red blood cells in the blood of the embryo increases almost twice, on the basis of which, the heartbeat also doubles. The increased blood flow from the mother’s body to the body of the unborn child through the umbilical cord is provided due to the intense work of the heart of a pregnant woman and so on.
So, we can conclude that the development of medicine does not stand still and every year more and more discoveries are made related to the amazing condition of a woman during pregnancy. Just 10 years ago, physicians did not even imagine what great discoveries could be made, why the embryonic period is also called the embryonic period. Now they have discovered how the organs of a developing man work, what features he has at one stage or another of development, and much more.