Cold beer. Hot food. Cool Science.
Tonight! @ 7pm
The Mysteries of Human Fertility:
On Sex, Fertile Days, and Why the Rabbit Dies
Allen Wilcox MD, PhD
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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What are an average couple’s
chances of conceiving in one
menstrual cycle if they stop using
any contraception?

What are an average couple’s
chances of conceiving in one
menstrual cycle if they stop using
any contraception?
25%

What are an average couple’s
chances of conceiving in one
menstrual cycle if they stop using
any contraception?
25%
In 3 months 50%
In 6 months 66%
In one year 90%

Female reproductive tract

Ovary

SPERM

How many days in each cycle is a
woman fertile?

How many days is a woman fertile?
• Six days:
– Five days before ovulation
– The day of ovulation

The perilous journey of the fertilized egg

Fertilized human eggs
DAY 2 DAY 3

A woman needed a kidney transplant. Her
adult children were tested as possible
donors.
After testing, the doctors told the woman
that her children were not really hers.

A woman needed a kidney transplant. Her
adult children were tested as possible
donors.
After testing, the doctors told the woman
that her children were not really hers.

A woman needed a kidney transplant. Her
adult children were tested as possible
donors.
After testing, the doctors told the woman
that her children were not really hers.
Human chimerism.

“ICSI” – intracellular sperm injection

What are the chances that
an implanted blastocyst
will die in utero?

What are the chances that
an implanted blastocyst
will die in utero? 33%

Cold beer. Hot food. Cool Science.
Q&A
Q: What can biology tell us about
when a human life begins?
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Cold beer. Hot food. Cool Science.
August 11 @ 7pm
The Nuclear Renaissance
Next David McNelis, Ph.D.
Month Director, Center for Sustainable Energy,
Environment and Economic Development
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