Sources – Science

“The concept of the ovarian continuum can be understood as a process that occurs during a woman’s lifetime and begins during intrauterine life with fertilization.” 152 152 Vigil, P., Lyon, C., Flores, B., Rioseco, H., & Serrano, F., Ovulation, a sign of health, Linacre Q., 2017 Nov;84(4):343-355, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29255329.

“The mammalian oviduct is the place where life begins as it is the site of fertilization and preimplantation embryo development.” 151 151 Pérez-Cerezales. S., Ramos-Ibeas, P., Acuña, O.S., Avilés, M., Coy, P., Rizos, D., & Gutiérrez-Adán, A., The oviduct: from sperm selection to the epigenetic landscape of the embryo, Biol Reprod, 2018 Mar 1;98(3):262-276, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29228115.

“Fertilization, the fusion of sperm and oocyte to form a zygote, is the first and arguably the most important cell-cell interaction event in an organism’s life.” 150 150 Wilson, L.D., Obakpolor, O.A., Jones, A.M., Richie, A.L., Mieczkowski, B.D., Fall, G.T., Hall, R.W., Rumbley, J.N., and Kroft, T.L. The Caenorhabditis elegans spe-49 gene is required for…

“We conclude that it is plausible, therefore, that human organisms begin to exist at fertilization.” 149 149 Miller, C. & Pruss, A., Human organisms begin to exist at fertilization, Bioethics, 2017 Sep;31(7):534-542, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28786173.