Within a few short months, a single cell develops into an entire living, breathing person. Prenatal development, or the development that occurs before birth, is a rapid process, especially during the first few weeks after conception. Understanding how your baby develops is essential to appreciating the value of prenatal care. The germinal stage is the first stage of pregnancy. It begins at conception, when the egg and sperm join to form a zygote, or fertilized egg.
Conception occurs in the fallopian tubes, the tubes that connect the ovaries with the uterus.
Immediately after conception, the zygote undergoes rapid cell division. The zygote first divides into two identical cells. Then, the two cells divide into four, the four into eight, and so on. At this time, each of the cells is identical and each is capable of becoming a baby. Throughout the germinal stage, the rapidly dividing mass of cells travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it will become implanted and develop over the course of the pregnancy.