Fertilization and Implantation

Question 1: What are the four major steps in the process of fertilization?

Answer:

The process of fertilization can be broadly categorised into following four major steps:

• Acrosomal reaction (Includes sperm activation also known as Capacitation, and fusion of male and female gametes plasma membrane.) 
• Cortical reaction 
• Sperm Entry 
• Karyogamy

Question 2: For how much sperm and secondary oocyte are viable inside the female reproductive tract?

Answer:

After getting released into the female reproductive tract the viability of sperm varies from 24 to 72 hours, whereas in the case of secondary oocyte they are viable for about 24 hours after being released by the mature Graafian follicle into the fallopian tube.

Question 3: What results in the release of a second meiotic arrest of secondary oocyte? 

Answer:

The sperm entry results in the release of second meiotic arrest and ultimately leads to the formation of an ovum and a secondary polar body. 

Question 4: What is Implantation?

Answer:

It is a step of fertilization in which the embryo implant in the endometrium of the vagina. This stage is known as implantation.

Fertilization and implantation are the 2 important events in human reproduction, which is the biological process of producing new individuals from a union of male and female gametes. This complex process involves the fusion of gametes, the development of a zygote, and the growth and differentiation of the embryo, which ultimately leads to the formation of a fetus within the uterus.