Chapter II: BIOMEDICAL

PERSPECTIVE in Gender and

Sexuality
Lesson 5: The Process of Reproduction
JEROME L. HERNANDEZ
Instructor I

GENDER AND SOCIETY

 Lesson 5: The Process of Reproduction

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
When you finish reading this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Define fertilization, conception and pregnancy;
2. Explain how pregnancy occurs and its prevention; and
3. Identify the complications of early pregnancy in the growing adolescent

PRE-TEST

CONTENT

Definition of Terms:
 Ovulation the process when mature ovum is released from the ovary and travels to the fallopian tube for
possible fertilization
 Fertilization union or the sperm and the ovum
 Pregnancy the process when an offspring develops within the mother’s womb.
Introduction
Although human beings are fully sexually differentiated at birth, the differences between males and females
are accentuated at puberty. This is when the reproductive system matures, secondary sexual characteristics develop,
and the bodies of males and females appear more distinctive.
Female puberty usually begins at about 8-13 years of age; the reproduction maturation of boys lags about
two years behind that of girls. The physical changes of female puberty include breast development, rounding of the
hips and buttocks, growth of the hair in the pubic region and the underarm, and the start of menstruation.

How does one ovulate?

The major landmark of puberty among females is the onset of the menstrual cycle, the monthly ovulation
cycle that leads to menstruation (loss of blood and tissues lining the uterus) in the absence of pregnancy. The
menstrual cycle is from the first day of a period until the day before the next period starts.
Normally, it lasts around 28 days, on the average, but can be as short as 21 or as long as 40. Whatever the
length, ovulation will happen about 10-16 days before the start of the next period.

COMMUNICATE: Pair up and share your thoughts about the following:

Name 3 menstruation-related problems that is experienced by the female teen.

Share the changes you experienced during puberty.

How did you adopt to these changes?

How does pregnancy occur?

For pregnancy to proceed, the sperm needs to meet up with an egg. Pregnancy officially starts when a
fertilized egg implants in the lining of the uterus. Pregnancy happens 2-3 weeks after sexual intercourse. This is
redundant so it was it redacted.
Conception is the process that begins with fertilization of an egg by the sperm and ends with implantation.
When a male and female have a sexual intercourse, the penis fits into the woman's vagina. Ejaculation or coming

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 Lesson 5: The Process of Reproduction

releases the sperm via the penis into the vagina. The sperm swims through the female's cervix, into the womb, and
finally into the fallopian tubes. Once the egg or ovum has been released into the fallopian tube, hundreds of sperm
swim up to reach it. Finally, the sperm penetrates the egg in the fallopian tube where fertilization takes place and
eventually, becomes an embryo. Once the embryo (fertilized egg) attaches to the inner lining of the uterus
(endothelium), a fetus develops within five to seven days from a ball of cells floating in the uterus, which officially
begins pregnancy.
A normal pregnancy lasts 37-42 weeks (nine months). This is measured from the first day of the last period.
Pregnancy is discussed in terms of trimesters (three-month periods), since each trimester is very different from the
rest. After eight weeks, the embryo is officially referred to as a fetus.

COMMUNICATE: Remember a time when you have seen or conversed with pregnant woman. Pair up
with your classmate and discuss on the signs of pregnancy you have observed among women.

Imagine it is like to be pregnant. What do you think are the needs and concerns?

What can be done to prevent teenage pregnancy?

Teen pregnancy has a tremendous impact on the educational, social, and economic lives of young people. Early
parenting reduces the likelihood that a young woman will complete high school and pursue the necessary post-
secondary education needed to compete in today's economy. Although there is a decline in teenage pregnancy rates
it has been steady over the past two decades. Teens are still engaging in sexual activity and teen girls are still
getting pregnant.

Equipping the youth with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to protect themselves against unwanted
pregnancy and provide them access to reproductive healthcare are needed.

COLLABORATE. Form groups to discuss and research on the advantages and disadvantages
of contraception.
CONTRACEPTION ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGES

What is an IDEAL CONTRACEPTION?

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 Lesson 5: The Process of Reproduction

What are the health effects of early pregnancy in the growing adolescent?
There are serious health risks associated with early pregnancy because a young woman's body is not
mature enough to handle bearing a child. When a woman is under 20, the pelvic area (the bone surrounding the birth
canal) is still growing and may not be large enough to allow the baby to easily pass through the birth canal. This can
result in what is called an obstructed labor". Obstructed labor is dangerous to both mother and child and requires the
help of trained medical professionals. Under the best circumstances, the young woman will have an operation called
a "caesarean section" in which a cut is made in the abdomen and the baby is removed directly from the uterus. A
major contributor to high maternal mortality rates is adolescent pregnancy. If a young woman is not physically mature,
the uterus may tear during the birth process, and she may die because of blood loss. If she is lucky and survives the
delivery, she might face fistula due to prolonged labor. A baby's head can also tear the vagina causing a hole
between the vagina and bladder or between the vagina and the rectum resulting in what is known as a fistula. Unless
she has an operation to fix her problem, for the rest of her life, she will not be able to hold her urine or feces and this
will make her a social outcast.
In addition, younger women who become pregnant face a higher risk than older women in developing a
number of other complications. These complications can be any or a combination of the following manifestations:
o excessive vomiting;
o severe anemia;
o hypertension;
o convulsions;
o difficulty in breast feeding (if the girl is too young to produce milk;
o premature and low birth weight babies;
o infection
o prolonged labor; and
o High maternal mortality or death.
The risk of having serious complications during pregnancy or childbirth is much higher for girls in their early
teens than for older women. Ages of 20-30 years are the safest period of women's life for child bearing. The major
difference between girls in their early teens and older women is that girls aged 12-16 years are still growing. The
pelvis, or the bony birth canal, of a girl can grow wider by as much as 20% between the time she begins
menstruating and the time she is I6 years old. This widening of the pelvis can make the crucial difference between a
safe delivery and obstructed labor.
It is not surprising, therefore, to find that obstructed labor, due to disproportion between the size of the infant's
head and the mother's pelvis, is most common among very young mothers. The consequences of such obstructed
labor may be death due to numerous complications or lifetime crippling conditions of vesico-vaginal fistula.

Summary
Reproduction involves the ova and sperm to fuse. Their union can lead to the creation of a new life through
pregnancy. This has explored the process of pregnancy and the changes that happen during pregnancy. We have
discussed the various ways of preventing pregnancy so that the growing adolescent would be empowered to choose
to avert from early pregnancy that can lead to various life-threatening complications.

ASSESSMENT
1. What do you often hear about sex?
2. Draw a mind map showing the ways to avoid the pressure to have sex.

IMPORTANT: Answer, Contemplate, What are your thoughts, communicate, collaborate and assessment.

REFERENCES
Family Planning Association (2o14). Pregnancy. England.
Farrell, K. et al. (1995). Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program. Washington DC:Advocates for the
youth.
German Foundation for World Population DSW (2006), Sexual and Reproductive Health Training for Manual for
Young People.
Jones, J. (2011).Human Sexuality.

Photo/Image Attributions
Ttrue12 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecomm ons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]33

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