Revision summary
Prenatal life is germinal, embryonic, then foetal. Implantation occupies the first two weeks. Organ formation in weeks 3–8 is the main teratogen window. The foetal period is growth and maturation until birth. Nutrition and infection in each stage leave different adult traces.
Model answer
Introduction
Human prenatal life is divided by weeks into germinal, embryonic, and foetal stages. Anthropology uses the calendar to read teratogens, nutrition, and birth timing.
Body
The stages
- Germinal (0–2 weeks): fertilisation, zygote, morula, blastocyst, implantation. Hertig and later embryology mapped this in the uterus.
- Embryonic (3–8 weeks): gastrulation, neurulation, and organ primordia. This is the high-risk window for rubella, alcohol, and folate-sensitive neural-tube defects.
- Foetal (9 weeks to birth): growth, lung and brain maturation, and fat stores. Tanner and auxology treat this as the first growth phase.
Why it matters
- A 40-week obstetric calendar is a cultural as well as a biological fact. Prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction later show in adult stature studies.
- Prenatal stages are not a miniature adult. They are a sequence of sensitive periods.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD G[Germinal implant] --> E[Embryo organs] E --> F[Foetus growth] E --> T[Teratogen window]
Conclusion
Germinal, embryonic, and foetal stages are the working clock of human prenatal life. Risk and growth do not spread evenly across that clock.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Shaman, sorcerer and medicine man
Next question in the 2022 paper (Q5). View answer →
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Is the first trimester the same as the embryonic period?
The first trimester includes germinal, embryonic, and early foetal weeks. Embryonic is the narrower organ-forming band.
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Does a birth at 37 weeks end the foetal stage?
Clinically yes as a live birth. Biologically some maturation still continues after birth.
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