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The act of becoming pregnant. Traditionally, the fertilization of the egg (the oocyte) by a sperm (the spermatozoon) and the beginning of the growth of the embryo [Butterworths Medical Dictionary]. Since the advent of in vitro fertilization, conception is said to have occurred only if the conceptus has undergone successful implantation, as evidenced by a positive pregnancy test. See also conception rate and pregnancy.
Copyright © 1998 Robert
Jansen, WH Freeman / Scientific American Books, and Allen &
Unwin. |
