Physicians (especially OB/GYNs, pediatricians, and family practice doctors), as well as healthcare professionals generally, may wish to download the following video for display on a TV monitor in their waiting rooms, exam rooms, etc. This 44-minute video features rare endoscopic and sonographic embryonic and fetal scans which span the entirety of pregnancy. The film can be programmed for looping on most TVs.
Please see below a comprehensive video archive containing nearly 22 hours of prenatal, endoscopic medical scans. Each scan depicts never-before-seen human embryos and fetuses, alive in the uterus, as they progress through each stage of prenatal development. The image bank will feature a searchable index listing approximately 6,000 of the anatomic structures and/or systems viewable in the video archive. Each search term will be linked to the endoscopic video clip which images its corresponding structure and/or system, chronologically ordered by weeks following fertilization. The program is intended as a reference resource for use by clinicians, academics, researchers, medical and nursing students, as well as students in the health sciences at undergraduate and graduate levels of study. The architecture of this interactive system is designed to accommodate continuous expansion.
Biologically speaking, “human development begins at fertilization,” when a woman and a man each combine 23 of their own chromosomes through the union of their reproductive cells. The DNA in the 46 chromosomes of the resulting embryo (zygote stage), then only one cell in size, already contains some 3 billion base pairs of digital data, the genetic blueprint for the entire human body. ...
The human heart will beat 3 billion times over the course of an average lifespan.
The human circulatory system contains 20-30 trillion blood cells at any given time.
The human brain contains 100 billion neurons.
The neurons in the human brain are linked to one another by 100 trillion synaptic connections.
“I hold a multiple subject teaching credential in the state of California and I have been a public elementary school teacher since 2004. My primary focus has been Kindergarten, First and Second grade. I recently examined the ERF coloring pages which depict embryos and fetuses developing in utero. This is an amazing interactive resource for children of all ages. It’s extremely user friendly. The high-resolution prenatal images next to the coloring book line drawings are fantastic! This is an instructive resource that can be used effectively in the classroom setting. I also reviewed the ERF site where I watched the children’s version of the ERF prenatal video. Like the coloring pages, the children’s edition of the ERF prenatal science documentary is also an amazing resource! All content is age-appropriate for even the youngest children.”
Ellarose Pinkus
“By convention, obstetricians date pregnancy from the presumed first day of the last normal menstrual period (LNMP). This is the gestational age, which in embryology is superfluous because gestation does not begin until fertilization of an oocyte occurs. Embryonic [or fetal] age [also described as fertilization or conceptional age] begins at fertilization, approximately 2 weeks after the LNMP…. The day on which fertilization occurs is the most accurate reference point for estimating [embryonic or fetal] age ….”
– “The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology.” Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. Philadelphia: Elsevier. 10th Ed. 2016. p 87.
Unless otherwise noted, all embryonic and fetal ages in Education Resource Fund curricular materials are estimated in weeks/months following fertilization.
The Education Resource Fund (ERF) recently announced an extraordinary new series of pregnancy-related science documentaries which illustrate the biology of prenatal development using sophisticated medical imaging technologies and procedures which enable researchers to visualize embryos and fetuses, alive in the uterus, with never-before-seen clarity. ERF is a science foundation which produces films and other curricular materials that are now available in an app ...
1. Male initiated: Up to 600 million sperm are deposited in the birth canal, of which only 200 reach the fertilization site in the uterine tube. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 10th ed., K. Moore et al., Elsevier (2016), pp. 25-26.
2. Male initiated: An enzyme produced by...
4 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
5 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
6 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
7 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
8 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
9 Months – Embryonic & Fetal Video Clips
We have prepared the script of “The Science of Life Before Birth” in 92 different languages. You can download a PDF of each of those translations by following the links below.
The See Baby Grow app video depicts embryos and fetuses, alive in the uterus, throughout every stage of pregnancy. These preborn babies have been scanned using embryoscopy and fetoscopy medical imaging technology, as well as high-resolution, research-grade sonography. The narration describes developmental anatomy and physiology as it unfolds through all three trimesters of pregnancy.
Professional reviews neither state nor imply institutional endorsement.
Principal Technical Advisor:
Mark T. Cullen, M.D.
Technical Review:
“The developmental period before birth is increasingly understood as a time of preparation during which the developing human acquires the many structures, and practices the many skills, needed for survival after birth. As our understanding of early human development advances, so too will our ability to enhance health––both before and after birth.”
The Biology of Prenatal Development, a documentary film originally distributed by the National Geographic Society
The following science documentaries, medical textbooks, and medical journal articles are among the many educational resources which provide useful information regarding the biology of prenatal development: