The implantation of an egg represents the beginning of pregnancy. The woman’s fertilized egg nests in the thickened lining of the uterus and begins to divide – an embryo develops.
What is implantation?
Implantation of an egg represents the beginning of pregnancy. We talk about implantation of eggs when they have been fertilized and have nested in the lining of the uterus. Fertilization takes place when the woman has sexual intercourse on the fertile days. On these days, an egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus and can be fertilized on its way there. If this does not happen, the egg dies in the uterus. However, if it is fertilized, it begins to divide for the first time while still in the fallopian tube. In this way, new life is created. However, the fertilized egg (zygote) cannot survive alone in the uterus. Very soon it will need new nutrients. Therefore, the mucous membrane of the uterus swells for a while before ovulation to provide a life-friendly environment for the egg when it is fertilized. The zygote can then “bury” itself in the mucosa, where it initially continues to divide, while at the same time the umbilical cord forms to supply the egg during the rest of the pregnancy. Over time, the uterine lining becomes the placenta and the implanted egg becomes the embryo.
Function and purpose
Although an egg is fertilized on its way to the uterus, pregnancy does not happen until it implants. One of the most common problems with getting pregnant is that an egg that has already been fertilized fails to implant as it should. Because of this, affected women end up not getting pregnant even if they are fertile. The implantation of the egg allows it to continue to receive nutrients. Each egg has just enough energy to make the first divisions on its way to the uterus after it is fertilized. However, once it arrives in the uterus, this energy is used up and it must continue to be supplied by the woman’s body. This happens after implantation in the mucous membrane, which then continues to develop into a new organ that is only needed sporadically: the placenta. Finally, the baby-to-be can also continue to be supplied via this organ – until it is born and takes in nourishment itself. The implantation of the egg is thus a decisive step for pregnancy and for human reproduction. At the same time, implantation is the first part of the process that is studied in more detail when a woman has difficulty getting pregnant.
Diseases and ailments
The implantation of the egg sounds like a simple physical process, but in fact it is not uncommon for problems to occur in the woman during this very process. It often happens that by taking the pill for a long time, the mucous membrane of the uterus does not become thick enough to allow implantation, despite ovulation. Diseases such as endometriosis, which are among the frequent causes of unwanted childlessness, are also problematic. In this case, the mucous membrane of the uterus spreads to other internal organs, but at the same time it is not suitable to allow the egg to implant. In this condition, too, fertilization of the egg may occur, but the decisive implantation fails to occur and the woman does not become pregnant. In many cases, such causes are easily treatable, so that childlessness need not become a permanent condition. More difficult are physical problems that prevent the fertilized egg from reaching the uterus. Deformities, injuries, or surgical damage to the fallopian tubes can prevent fertilized eggs from traveling through them to the uterus and implanting as intended. These can be congenital or acquired. In such cases, surgery to remove the blockages can help. Artificial insemination is also possible, in which the egg is brought to the right place from the outside. Problems with implantation of the egg can also be hormonal in nature. In this case, it is hormones that are not present in the right proportions to create a sufficiently thick uterine lining. In such cases, targeted hormone therapy can provide long-term relief.Although the success of the treatment is not immediately apparent with the implantation of an egg, in the long term hormonal treatment increases the chances of becoming pregnant. A rarer, but sometimes life-threatening problem with implantation of an egg is ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the egg does not migrate to the uterus, but remains in the fallopian tube after fertilization or even continues to develop entirely outside. Normally, it would die when it moves away from the female reproductive organs, but it does so late in an ectopic pregnancy. Then it releases toxins that initially cause the woman severe abdominal pain and eventually signs of poisoning. If the ectopic pregnancy gets to this point, it is life-threatening and must be treated immediately.
