Title pic of timeline

Fetal Development

By aharter
  • Fertilized Egg

    Begins to exist when a sperm fertilizes the egg.
  • Start

    Start
    Fertilization
  • Hour 12

    Hour 12
    Joining of Pronuclei
  • Zygote Stage Begins

    Occurs when the two pronuclei join together.
  • Hours 30-36

    Hours 30-36
    1st Round of Mitosis (Cleavage); 2 cells
  • Hour 40

    Hour 40
    2nd Round of Mitosis; 4 cells
  • Hours 50-60

    Hours 50-60
    3rd Round of Mitosis; 8 cells
  • Morula

    Morula
    16 cells
  • Embryo Stage Begins

    Occurs when the zygote becomes a morula.
  • Days 8-10

    Days 8-10
    Implantation
  • Day 4

    Day 4
    64 cell Embryo called a Blastocyst
  • Hatching

    Hatching
    Cells break through hard zona pellucida
  • Day 10

    Day 10
    Ectopic pregnancy could occur (approximate time)
  • Day 12

    hCG begins to be secreted
  • Day 12

    Day 12
    Disc with streak on the underside forms the mesoderm
  • Day 14

    Day 14
    Neural tube forms
  • Day 15

    1st missed period
  • Day 21

    Day 21
    Heart begins to beat, arm and leg buds appear, yolk sac makes RBCs
  • Days 34-36

    Days 34-36
    Face plates forming
  • Days 34-36

    Days 34-36
    Cleft lip or palate may occur
  • Week 6

    Week 6
    Muscles form, bent neck, webbed hands and feet, segmented back
  • Week 7

    Week 7
    Fingers and toes separate, eyes and ears formed
  • Fetal Stage Begins

    Occurs when all the organs are formed.
  • Day 50

    Day 50
    Genitalia begin to differentiate, eyelids fuse, amnion surrounds fetus
  • Weeks 9-11

    Weeks 9-11
    Chorionic villi sampling could be performed
  • Week 14-15

    Week 14-15
    Amniocentesis could be performed
  • Months 6-7

    Months 6-7
    Eyes open, fat added under skin, head out of proportion to the body