In plain words
Organogenesis is the period when the baby's main organs begin to form. In a typical pregnancy, it runs from about the third week to about the eighth week after conception. The heart, brain, spinal cord, limbs, and other organs start to take shape in this window. Many people do not know they are pregnant during this time. Some medicines, infections, and other exposures are more likely to affect the baby during organogenesis. This is one reason clinicians talk about planning and the early weeks of pregnancy. The word describes a timing window. It does not mean every change in this period causes a problem. Most pregnancies go through this period without a major issue.
The deeper version
Organogenesis is the embryonic period of organ primordia formation, from roughly postconception week 3 through week 8, corresponding to the embryonic period in the Carnegie staging system. sensitivity peaks during this window for many organ systems, including the neural tube (closing by about day 28 post-conception), heart, and limbs. The logic for preconception care rests in part on the fact that organogenesis begins before pregnancy is recognized, and that about 45 percent of U.S. pregnancies are unplanned (Finer and Zolna, 2016). Prenatal exposure risk is assessed by timing, dose, and mechanism in clinical teratology practice.
Where it comes up
- The preconception visitBefore Pregnancy
- Trimester Zero: preparing your body before pregnancyBefore Pregnancy
- Folate and folic acidPregnancy: Eating
- Mixed feelings about being pregnantPregnancy: Mind and Life
What mothers here say about organogenesis
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Finer LB, Zolna MR — Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011. New England Journal of Medicine 2016
- O'Rahilly R, Müller F — Human Embryology and Teratology, 3rd edition, 2001