CHILDBIRTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS

• Labor - series of events that expel the infant from the uterus
• Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor) - weak, irregular, uterine contractions
• Stages of Childbirth (Parturition):

  • Initiation of labor
  • Dilation
  • Expulsion - c-section may be performed when the infant experiences dystocia
  • Placental stage
• Pseudohermaphrodites - individuals whose external genitalia do not match their gonads
• Hermaphrodites - individuals who have both ovaries and testes
• Phimosis - narrowing of the foreskin of the penis
• Cryptorchidism - failure of the testes to descend from the abdominal cavity
• Menarche - first menstrual period
• Menopause - a whole year has passed without menstruation