27 Mar 09 SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, REPRODUCTION: WHAT IS AN EMBRYO? WHAT’S A FOETUS? WHAT IS A MISCARRIAGE? WHAT IS A STILL BIRTH?

After an ovum has been fertilized and plants itself in the uterus, it begins the nine-month-long process of developing into a baby. For the first three months, it is referred to as an embryo. After three months, it is called a foetus.

What is a miscarriage? What is a still birth?

When an embryo or foetus dies, it is expelled from the mother’s uterus and this is called a miscarriage. Most miscarriages happen during the first three months of pregnancy. It is unusual for a woman to miscarry after three months, but it does happen. Doctors aren’t always sure why a miscarriage has happened, but usually the embryo or foetus has a defect or problem in its development that makes it impossible for it to survive. Having a miscarriage doesn’t usually affect a woman’s chances of having a normal baby in the future.

Still birth means that the baby is born dead. In some cases the baby has died during the birth process; in other cases the baby has died in the womb before birth. Sometimes the doctor can pin-point a defect in the baby that caused the death, but at other times the reason for the still birth remains a mystery. Fortunately, miscarriages after the third month of pregnancy and still births are rare. Most women have normal pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies.

*79\95\2*