Human Reproduction
Describe the structure and function of the male and female human reproductive systems, and explain the processes of fertilisation, gestation, and birth including the role of the placenta
What a learner can do afterwards
- Labels diagrams of the male and female reproductive systems
- Explains the roles of gametes (sperm and egg) in sexual reproduction
- Describes what happens during fertilisation and where it occurs
- Explains the function of the placenta and the impact of maternal lifestyle on foetal development
The lesson
A new human life starts when two special cells join together: a sperm cell from the father and an egg cell from the mother. These cells are called gametes. Each parent's body has a reproductive system, a group of organs that makes and moves these gametes.
In males, the testes make sperm. During sex, sperm leave the body through the penis. In females, the ovaries make eggs. About once a month, one egg travels down a tube called the fallopian tube, heading toward the uterus, the organ where a baby can grow.
Fertilisation happens when a sperm reaches an egg, usually inside a fallopian tube. The sperm and egg join to form one new cell. This fertilised cell then moves into the uterus and attaches to its inner lining. That moment is the start of pregnancy, also called gestation.
The placenta is an organ that grows inside the uterus during pregnancy. It connects the mother's blood supply to the baby through the umbilical cord, passing in oxygen and nutrients and carrying away waste. Because things the mother eats, drinks, or breathes can reach the baby this way, a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy matters.
A sperm and an egg join in fertilisation to start a pregnancy, and the placenta feeds and protects the growing baby until birth.
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8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.