Conception of identical twins

Millions of sperm are released during a single ejaculation. Their tails propel on their journey to encounter the single egg cell. Of the millions of sperm, only a few will survive to reach the egg and just one will penetrate the egg cell' s wall to combine it' s genetic material with that of the egg in the process called fertilization. If during the first 13 days of cell division, the fertilized egg cell, or zygote, divides into 2 zygotes, identical twins will form. Each developing embryo contains the same genetic material as the other.

Reviewed last on: 9/16/2008
Dan Sacks MD, FACOG, Obstetrics & Gynecology in Private Practice, West Palm Beach, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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