Prenatal Development and the Newborn Period

Flashcards covering vocabulary related to prenatal development and the newborn period.

Conception

The union of two gametes, the egg and the sperm.

Meiosis

Specialized cell division that results in gametes having only half the genetic material of other normal cells.

Cell Migration

The movement of newly formed cells away from their point of origin.

Stem Cells

Originally embryonic cells, they are equivalent and interchangeable.

Apoptosis

The selective death of certain cells; for example, the death of cells between ridges in the hand plate.

Androgens

A class of hormones that contain testosterone and, if present, facilitate the development of male genitalia.

Fraternal Twins

Occurs when two eggs are released from the ovary and both are fertilized.

Identical Twins Creation

When a cell mass is split in half during early development

Implantation

The zygote embeds itself in the uterine lining.

Neural Tube

A U-shaped groove formed from the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo.

Placenta

Permits the exchange of materials between the bloodstreams of mother and fetus.

Placental membrane

A barrier against some, but not all toxins and infectious agents; also produces hormones.

Umbilical cord

Contains the blood vessels connecting fetus and mother.

Amniotic sac

A membrane within which the fetus floats in a clear liquid that is a protective buffer.

Fetal breathing

Movement of the chest wall and pulling in and expelling small amounts of amniotic fluid to help develop the respiratory system

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated or continued stimulation, a simple form of learning.

Teratogens

Environmental agents that have the potential to cause harm during prenatal development.

Minamata Disease

A disease where at least 40 children had been poisoned prenatally by mercury and were born with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.

Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy

Linked to slowed growth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

A form of drug withdrawal seen when fetuses exposed to opioids in the womb are born.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Associated with mental retardation, facial deformity, hyperactivity, attention problems, and various organ defects.

Environmental Pollutants

Toxic metals, synthetic hormones, and various ingredients of plastics, pesticides, and herbicides that can be teratogenic.