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19.22: Introduction to Human Pregnancy and Birth

  • Page ID
    44158
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    Explain fetal development during the three trimesters of gestation

    Pregnancy begins with the fertilization of an egg and continues through to the birth of the individual. The length of time of gestation varies among animals, but is very similar among the great apes: human gestation is 266 days, while chimpanzee gestation is 237 days, a gorilla’s is 257 days, and orangutan gestation is 260 days long. The fox has a 57-day gestation. Dogs and cats have similar gestations averaging 60 days. The longest gestation for a land mammal is an African elephant at 640 days. The longest gestations among marine mammals are the beluga and sperm whales at 460 days.

    What You’ll Learn to Do

    • Explain fetal development during the three trimesters of gestation
    • Describe labor and delivery
    • Compare the efficacy and duration of various types of contraception
    • Discuss causes of infertility and the therapeutic options available

    Learning Activities

    The learning activities for this section include the following:

    • Human Gestation
    • Labor and Birth
    • Contraception and Birth Control
    • Infertility
    • Self Check: Human Pregnancy and Birth

    Contributors and Attributions

    CC licensed content, Original
    • Introduction to Human Pregnancy and Birth. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
    CC licensed content, Shared previously

    19.22: Introduction to Human Pregnancy and Birth is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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