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During the first 12 hours after conception, the fertilized egg
cell remains a single cell. After approximately 30 hours, it
divides from 1 cell into 2 and 15 hours later, the 2 cells divide
into 4. And at the end of 3 days, the fertilized egg cell has
become a berry-like structure made up of 16 cells. This structure
is called a morula, which is Latin for mulberry.
The cells continue to divide 8 or 9 days following conception into
a blastocyst. Although it is only the size of a pinhead, the
blastocyst is composed of hundreds of cells. The blastocyst is
slowly carried by tiny hair-like projections in the fallopian tube
called cilia toward the uterus. During the critically important
process of implantation, it must attach itself to the uterine
lining where it will be able to get nourishment from the mother’s
blood supply. If the blastocyst is unable to attach, the pregnancy
will fail to survive.
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