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As you begin your study of human embryology, it's a goo time to consider why knowledge of the subject will be important to your to your career. Human embryology is fascinating in itself and tells us about about our own prenatal origins. It also sheds light on the birth defects that occur relatively frequently in human populations. So the study of both normal and abnormal human embryology tells us something about every human we will encounter throughout our lives. For those seeking a career in biology, medicine and Allied health sciences, there are many other reasons to learn human embryology, which include the following:
1. Knowing human embryology provides a logical framework for understanding adult anatomy
2. Knowing human embryology provides a bridge between basic science (e.g, anatomy) and clinical science (e.g, obstetrics and pediatrics).
3. Knowing human embryology allows the physician to accurately advise patients on many issues, such as reproduction, birth defects, prenatal development, in-vitro fertilization, stems, and cloning.
Human pregnancy is subdivided in many ways to facilitate understanding of changes that occur in the developing organism over time. Prospective parents and physicians typically use trimesters: 3 month periods (zero to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, and 6 to 9 months) starting with the date of onset of the last menstrual period and ending of birth. Human embryologists use periods: the period of the egg (generally from fertilization to the end of the 3rd week), the period of the embryo (generally from the beginning of the 4th week to the end of the 8th week), and the period of the fetus (from the beginning of the 3rd month to both).
Human embryologists also identify phases of human embryogenesis. Generally, 6 phases are recognized:
3. Cleavage
4. Gastrulation
5. Formation of the tube-within-a-tube body plan
6. Organogenesis