How women become pregnant
How women become pregnant
About once a month, a woman’s
ovary releases a tiny egg. The
egg moves down the tube and
into the womb.
Men make tiny cells called sperm inside
of their testicles. When a man ejaculates
(comes), a fluid called semen comes
out of his penis. Millions of sperm cells
come out in that fluid.
egg
ovary
The ovary
releases a tiny
egg into the
tube.
penis
The semen and
sperm travel through
this tube and out of
the penis.
testicle
The sperm is made
in the testicles.
If a man ejaculates inside a woman’s vagina during sexual intercourse, his
sperm cells can travel through her vagina, through her womb, and into her tubes.
If the woman and man have sexual intercourse near the time of the month that
the woman’s egg is moving down her tube, one of the man’s sperm cells may meet
her egg. The egg may then plant itself in the lining of the womb. If this happens,
the woman becomes pregnant.
Every month that the woman does not become pregnant, the bloody lining of
her womb comes out about 2 weeks after she releases the egg. We call this
monthly bleeding, or menstruation.
A Book for Midwives (2010)
29