The Journey
of an Ovum
Read the
following story and fill in the blanks using the words provided.
Once
upon a time, there was a female reproductive system. Each month, the
(1._________________) invited a thick, soft lining made up of tissue and blood
to grow along its walls. The lining contained nutrients that would be needed to
nourish a growing baby if a pregnancy was to occur. Once the lining had grown,
it waited for the ovaries to do their job.
You
see, the ovaries contained special reproductive cells, each called an
(2._________________). Each month, one of these cells would reach maturity and
be released from the (3._________________). This month, it was the right ovary
that got to release an ovum. The left one would have to wait until the next
month. The (4. ______________), which wait for the ovaries to release an ovum,
waved their numerous arms. The waving arms grabbed the ovum that was just
released and gently guided it into one of the tubes. After about a day of
travel, the ovum began to dissolve. When it had disappeared, the brain sent a
message to the lining of the uterus telling it that a fertilized ovum wasn’t
going to arrive, so it could leave the uterus. Slowly, the lining passed
through the (5. _________________), into the (6. _________________), and out of
the female’s body.
As
soon as the lining was gone, the uterus invited a new lining to start to grow.
This time around, it would be the ovary and fallopian tube on the left that
would do all the work. Then, the process would start all over again. The
process is called (7. _________________).
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