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Womb to Grow
09 February 2017

Womb to Grow

A pregnant woman’s body goes through many dramatic changes to provide a nurturing environment for a developing embryo. A swelling belly and hormonal changes may be obvious, but some adjustments are more subtle. Captured using a high-powered microscope, these pictures of part of a mouse’s uterus offer a detailed glimpse before (top), and during pregnancy (bottom). Shown here artificially coloured, the wall of the uterus (light blue) is lined with shrub-like glands that release nourishing chemicals in the early days of pregnancy. The glands bend during pregnancy (bottom) to point in the direction of the implanted embryo (just off the right side of the picture). This technique can now be applied to different stages of pregnancy, helping scientists to understand how the uterus adapts at this microscopic scale. These insights may help to improve the success rate of in vitro fertilisation, or, alternatively, help to design more effective contraceptives.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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