6 Weeks
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At six weeks of pregnancy, the yolk sac starts shrinking as the placenta nourishes the embryo [1]. The umbilical cord carries the nutrients and oxygen to the embryo. Amniotic fluid keeps the embryo safely cushioned and helps regulate the embryo’s temperature [1].
The embryo resembles the letter C, with a head at one end and a tail at the other. Facial features are becoming more apparent, like optic vessels that will become eyes and the upper and lower jaws [2,3]. The embryo has small arm and leg buds, and development of the heart is underway [3]. The embryo’s tube-like heart cells can contract and conduct electrical impulses [1].
The neural fold that resembles a groove down the back of the embryo has closed to form the neural tube [2]. The neural tube will develop into the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves, and backbone [2].
References:
1. Betts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, Johnson E, Poe B, Kruse DH, et al. 28.2 Embryonic Development. Anatomy & Physiology. Houston: OpenStax; 2013.
2. Harms R, Wick M, editors. Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. Boston: Da Capo Press; 2011.
3. Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2016.
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Produced and written by: Samantha Lattof, PhD MSc
Medically reviewed by: Ayodeji Olelakan Abere, MD MBA MHA
Animation by: SciePro / Pond5
Music by: audiomarket / Pond5
Narration by: Ava at Wellsaid