PSYC 3533 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Headache, Amniotic Fluid, Birth Weight
16 Feb 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The sperm is one of the tiniest cells in the human body. It consists of the: head - contains the nucleus and acrosome, midpiece- provides energy, tail - propels the sperm through flagellation. At the time of ovulation, the cervical mucus has thinned and becomes more alkaline to accommodate the sperm. A man ejaculates into the wo(cid:373)a(cid:374)"s vagina (or through assisted insemination) Consists of about 3 millilitres(1 teaspoon) and contain about 200 million sperm. Only about 2000 sperm actually make it to the fallopian tube containing the egg. A chemical secreted by the egg attracts the sperm. Chemical receptors on the sperm respond and the sperm swim towards the egg. The egg is surrounded by the zona pellucida: a thin, gelatinous layer. Sperm swarm around the egg and secrete hyaluronidase: an enzyme that helps dissolve the zona pellucida, produced in the acrosome located in the head of the sperm.
