The Sperm and the Egg

The Sperm and the Egg

Carla English

PSY/265

October 20, 2013

Michaela Sychtysz

The Sperm and the Egg

This is the story of a little sperm named Bert, and a little egg named Bella. This is the story of their journey to find each other, and be joined together forever. They embark on this journey not knowing of the other one, but some unknown force compels them. They only know that at the end of this journey something magical will happen.

Bert begins his long journey in the seminiferous tubules, located in the male testes. In his community, there are millions like him, as sperm are continuously produced. He lived there until he was the ripe, old age of two months and was more mature. He moves to the epididymis until he feels it is the right time to move through the urethra. When he goes to the urethra, another substance is there to help him along in his journey to find Bella, the egg. Bert waits patiently in the urethra until suddenly the pelvic muscle starts to have contractions and discharges Bert, with force, into the vagina. This is the point that Bert knows that he must continue, no matter what.

Bella began her journey by being one of many eggs a female child is born with at birth. These eggs are located in the fetus's ovaries. When the female child reaches puberty, she begins to ovulate which is how Bella begins her great adventure. By a woman ovulating around 400 times throughout her lifetime and Bella being only one of millions of eggs, her chances of fertilization are poor. Ovulation occurs when the partially matured ovum is released from the ovarian follicles to the oviduct. This process only takes a short time to occur and the follicle ruptures quickly and the fluid that filled it runs out. In this fluid are many cells and the ovum; better known as Bella. Bella is surrounded by millions of cells that provide nutrients and protection for the journey. While this is going on, the Fallopian tubes are receiving signals to get ready to capture Bella. The finger-like projections capture Bella and the protective cells that surround her. Now that Bella is safe inside the Fallopian tubes, she will prepare herself to meet Bert. Inside the Fallopian tubes is where they will meet and fertilization will occur.

When Bert was forcefully ejected into the vagina, he went to the opening of the cervix; the most far end of the vagina. His journey up into the Fallopian tubes may take six or seven hours, but today he is the fastest of the sperm and the conditions in the vagina are right, so he can make it in about thirty minutes. Now, Bert has been changing during his journey and he does not realize it. He unknowingly has been affected by changes