Human gestational development

About

The exact manner in which unborn human beings develop while in the womb is of great significance in the ongoing debate over abortion.

Timeline

Note: this includes links to photographs on anti-abortion web sites. We are only presuming that these sites are accurately labelling these photographs and that they are representative examples.

First trimester (months 1-3)
- T = 0 Fertilization: sperm enters egg, which is now called a zygote; the zygote begins to divide. Several days later the cell forms an outer shell, and is now called a blastocyst.
- T = day ~6: blastocyst implants in uterine wall, and is now called an embryo
- T = week 3: brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop
- T = weeks 4-5:
  - brain develops into five areas and some cranial nerves are visible
  - further development of the heart which now beats at a regular rhythm
- T = week 6: The embryo is about 1/4" long, and has no brain. The heartbeats cannot be heard; the only indication of heartbeat is a very faint electrical signal.
- T = week 7: abortion photo
- T = week 8: abortion photos: [1] [2] [3] [4]
- T = week 9: beginning of the fetal stage:
  - Fetus is typically about 30 mm (1.2 inches) in length from crown to rump, and weighs about 8 grams
  - Breathing-like movement of the fetus is necessary for stimulation of lung development, rather than for obtaining oxygen
  - The heart is beating.
  - Fetus cannot survive on its own
  - Fetus "can make a fist with its fingers" (implying neurological development but not consciousness)
  - abortion photos: [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
- T = week 10: abortion photos: [10] [11] [12]
- T = week 11: abortion photos: [13] [14] [15]
- T = week 12: first measurable signs of EEG movement occur, i.e. the brain is known to be operating at some level at this point. It may be operating before this and simply undetectable with current instruments. On the other hand, it isn't known what the brain's capabilities are (including whether it can feel any kind of pain) at this point.
Second trimester (months 4-6) begins at approximately week 13-14 (query: is there a legal definition?)
- T = weeks 16-25: The nervous system develops enough to control some body functions during this time. Multiparous women may feel some movement at 16 weeks, while others typically feel the first movements at 18-19 weeks.
  - T = weeks 17-19: baby can hear
  - T = week 22: abortion photos: [16] [17] [18]
  - T = week 24:
    - considered the beginning of "viability" outside the womb [19]
    - abortion photos: [20]
Third trimester (months 7-9) begins somewhere between weeks 25 and 27
- The scientific consensus is that a fetus is not capable of feeling pain before week 27.^[1]
- T = weeks 26-38: The brain forms thalamic connections, which mediate sensory input, during this time.
- T = week 38: birth typically happens at this time

"Trimester" plays a significant part in the abortion laws of many countries; see wikipedia:Abortion law.

Links

Reference

Wikipedia:
- Pregnancy
- Embryo
MedLine Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Fetal development
The Biblically-Correct Conservapedia doesn't seem to have much info on this
dKosopedia and SourceWatch deal mainly with issues, not the biological details

to file

2022-10-18 What a pregnancy actually looks like before 10 weeks – in pictures

Footnote

↑
See references in Prenatal perception.
- “The hypothesis that human fetuses are capable of perceiving pain in the first trimester is not supported by science; the scientific consensus is that a fetus "is not capable of feeling pain until the third trimester", which "begins at about 27 weeks of pregnancy".”
- “In March 2010, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted a report, concluding that "Current research shows that the sensory structures are not developed or specialized enough to respond to pain in a fetus of less than 24 weeks"...”

[wpedia_pp-1] See references in Prenatal perception.
“The hypothesis that human fetuses are capable of perceiving pain in the first trimester is not supported by science; the scientific consensus is that a fetus "is not capable of feeling pain until the third trimester", which "begins at about 27 weeks of pregnancy".”

“In March 2010, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted a report, concluding that "Current research shows that the sensory structures are not developed or specialized enough to respond to pain in a fetus of less than 24 weeks"...”

[2] “The hypothesis that human fetuses are capable of perceiving pain in the first trimester is not supported by science; the scientific consensus is that a fetus "is not capable of feeling pain until the third trimester", which "begins at about 27 weeks of pregnancy".”

[3] “In March 2010, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted a report, concluding that "Current research shows that the sensory structures are not developed or specialized enough to respond to pain in a fetus of less than 24 weeks"...”

[1]