unit one- preconception health and reproduction

• smoking- factor for consideration- women

  it leads to the risk of miscarage, premature birth, low birth baby weight and still birth
• smoking- factors for consideration- male

  male smokers may have abnormal horman levels what can affect fertility as it makes them have a lower sperm count, fewer healthier sperm, decrease in sperm mobility, nicotine intake makes the babys heart beat faster

  and if a child grows up with smokers there is a higher risk of dying from SIDS
• Alcohol- factors for consideration

  the alcohol passes from the blood through the placenta into your baby. a babys liver doesn't fully develop until the last five stages of pregnancy so therefor there body cant process alcohol very well
• alcohol- factor for consideration 


  drinking during pregnancy can cause your baby to develop a condition called foetal alcohol syndrome/spectrum disorder.symptoms of this are

  learning and behaviour problems

  joints and bones muscle problems

  communication problems

  alcohol can stop the sperm from developing properly and reduces the sperms ability to move towards the egg so dims the chance of becoming pregnant
• weight- a factor for consideration

  overweight and obese women have higher levels of hormone called leptin which is produced in there fatty tissues, this can disrupt the hormone balance and lead to a reduce fertility.

  overweight men are more likely to have a lower sperm count and more likely to produce no sperm

  it can cause high blood pressure or diabetes

  increase the like hood of needing to have a caesarean
• what factors effect preconceptual health

  weight

  smoking

  alcohol

  taking recreational drugs

  parental age

  up to date immunisations
• taking recreational drugs- areas affecting preconception health 


  can effect an unborn babys growth and development; it can cause problems with the placenta it can cause severe bleeding-loss of child

  certain drugs when taken during pregnancy can cause the baby to suffer withdraws symptoms after birth
• parental age -preconception health

  the age of a couple can affect conception.

  men produce sperm all the time as long as they are physical able to.

  as women age ability to conceive declines along with the quality

  the decline becomes more rapid after 35- more chance of not getting pregnant
• up to date immunisations- factors affecting pre conception health 


  keeping immunisation up to date helps contribute to keeping a women healthy.

  pregnant women can protect there baby from getting the whooping cough

  annual flu jab is offered to pregnant women every October
• taking folic acid- factors effecting preconception health

  taking folic acid before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects known as neural tube defects

  women are advised to 400mcg of folic acid per day before contraception
• the structure of a female reproduction system

  
• the structure of the female reproduction system is

  > fallopian tube

  >ovary

  >uterus

  >cervix

  >vagina
• what is the ovaries 


  >its is the control and the production of hormones, oestrogen and progesterone

  >these hormones govern the development of the female body and menstrual cycle

  >ovaries contain undeveloped eggs
• what is the fallopian tubes-


  >tubes that connect ovaries to the uterus

  >lined with tiny hairs called cilia

  >each month one of the ovaries release an egg into the tube

  >cilia helps the egg reach the uterus by wafting it along the tube
• what is the uterus and its job

  >its also known as the womb

  >it is hollow, pear shaped muscular bag were an unborn child grows and develops
• what is the uterus wall -endometrium

  >lining of the uterus it is soft

  > a fertilised egg will become implanted here
• what is the job of the cervix

  >it is a very strong ring of muscles between the uterus and vagina

  >usually closed

  >keeps the baby securely in place in the womb

  >cervix dilates during labour to allow the baby to be born
• what is the job of the vagina 


  >muscular tube leads downwards connecting the cervix

  >it is here the penis enters the body

  >folds of skin called the labia meet at the entrance of the vagina forming the villa
• the menstrual cycle

  
• the menstrual cycle:

  >the cycle in what women release eggs and are fertile

  >average age of starting is 12 and the average age of the menopause is 52

  > a new period should last 3-7 days

  >a new egg then develops in an ovaries and is released 14 days later

  >the egg will travel down the fallopian tube into the uterus

  >if an egg get fertilised then it will grow into a baby
• the male reproduction system:

  
• the male reproduction system is made up of the urethra, penis, testes, sperm duct, vas deferens
• male reproduction system- urethra 


  >tube inside the penis carries both urine and sperm (not at the same time)

  >ring of muscles controls this
• male reproduction system- penis 


  >penis contains the shaft main part which goes into the vagina

  >the gains- the tip- which has a small opening

  >sperm and urine leave the body through this opening via the urethra
• the male reproductive system- vas defrens 


  >transferring semen that contains sperm to the uretha

  >muscular tube that expands upwards from the testicles
• male reproduction system-seminal vesicles

  >a pair of glands found in the male penis

  >produce many of the ingredients of semen 70% of the total

  >during ejaculation the smooth muscle layer of the seminal vesicles contract releasing the seminal vesicle fluid
• the male reproductive system- sperm duct system/epipdymis 


  >sperm duct system consist of the epipdidymis which contains sperm

  >and the vas deferens which are the sperm ducts(tubes) that sperm passes through

  >glands produce nutrient rich fluid-called semen which mixes with sperm and carries it
• the male reproductive system- testes 


  > the scrotum is a bag of slein that contains two testes

  >these make millions of sperm

  >also produce hormones-such as testosterone- which controls the development of the male body
• reproduction takes place in the point of the menstrual cycle which either end up with the contraception of a baby or the women's body flushing out the unfertilised egg this being a period
• ovulation occurs when an egg is released from one of the ovaries and travels along the fallopian tube
• contraception and fertilisation 


  >during sexual intercourse the man penis releases semen into the women's vagina

  >sperm travels in semen from the penis and into the top of the vagina

  >they enter the uterus through the cervix and travels to meet the egg in the fallopian tube

  >if a sperm cells meets with an egg cell there fertilisation can happen
• contraception and fertilisation 


  fertilistion happens when an egg cee meets
• > the fertilised egg continues along the fallopian tube

  >the fertilised egg continues along the tube

  >between four and five days later there is a mass of around 16 cells

  >this forms a ball of tissue called the blastocyst
• implantation


  >during the third week after the first day of your last period, your fertilised egg moves along the fallopian tube towards the womb

  >the egg begins as a single cell which divides again and again

  >by the time the egg reaches the womb it has become a mass of more then 10 cells
• development of the embryo and foetus. until eight weeks after contraception the developing baby is called an embryo

  from eight weeks until birth the developing baby is a foetus
• amniotic fluid


  fluid contained in the amniotic sac its protective fluid mainly made up of water that cushions the babies movements. it helps the exchange of water, nutrients and antibodies between the mother and the foetus
• umbilical cord 


  this is the tube that connets the feotus sto the mother sduring pregnancy

  blood from the baby flows continually to and from the placenta through the umbilical cord. in the placenta the babys blood comes very close to the mothers blood but does not mix
• placenta 


  attached to the wall of the uterus the umbilical cord comes from the placenta to the baby

  the placenta provides the foetus with oxygen and nutrients from the mother via the umbilical cord and removes foetal waste products

  the placenta passes on antibodies providing natural immunity
• multiple pregnancies

  >identical twins- the twins result when one fertilised egg splits into two parts

  >non identical fraternal- these twins develop when two eggs are released and each is fertilised by a different sperm
• signs and symptoms of pregnancy

  >breast changes- larger, tender , darker nipples

  >missed period- often the first and most reliable sign

  >feelings of nausea and vomiting- called morning sickness

  >passing urine more frequently-

  > tiredness- due to hormone changes in the body