What are the stages of the fertilization of an egg?

Fertilization. If one sperm does make its way into the fallopian tube and burrows into the egg, it fertilizes the egg. The egg changes so that no other sperm can get in. At the instant of fertilization, your baby's genes and sex are set. If the sperm has a Y chromosome, your baby will be a boy. If it has an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl. read more

If a sperm penetrates the egg, fertilization results. Tiny hairlike cilia lining the fallopian tube propel the fertilized egg (zygote) through the tube toward the uterus. The cells of the zygote divide repeatedly as the zygote moves down the fallopian tube. read more

The “stages” of fertilization isn’t as complicated as the stages of cell growth, though. The fertilization literally happens when the sperm’s nucleus fuses with the egg’s nucleus. There, the DNA exchanges through crossing-over and such, and the DNA of the future baby is all determined at this stage. read more