| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,910,074,002 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
Fertility |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Wikipedia | 0.01 sec. |
|
|
fertility: see infertility infertility, inability to conceive or carry a child to delivery. The term is usually limited to situations where the couple has had intercourse regularly for one year without using birth control.
..... Click the link for more information. . fertilityAbility of an individual or couple to reproduce through normal sexual activity. About 80% of healthy, fertile women are able to conceive within one year if they have intercourse regularly without contraception. Normal fertility requires the production of enough healthy sperm by the male and viable eggs by the female, successful passage of the sperm through open ducts from the male testes to the female fallopian tubes, penetration of a healthy egg, and implantation of the fertilized egg in the lining of the uterus (see reproductive system). A problem with any of these steps can cause infertility. fertility [fər′til·əd·ē] (biology) The state of or capacity for abundant productivity. Fertility See also Abundance. antler dance archaic animal dance, preceding mating. [Br. Folklore: Brewer Dictionary, 1] Irish goddess of fecundity. [Irish Folklore: Briggs, 9] goddess of fecundity. [Gk. Myth.: Parrinder, 24] goddess of fecundity. [Phoenician Myth.: Jobes, 144] emblem of fecundity. [Phoenician Myth.: Jobes, 466] emblem of fecundity. [Hittite Myth.: Jobes, 466] Athens’ patroness; goddess of war and fecundity. [Gk. Myth.: Parrinder, 33; Kravitz, 40] chief male god of Phoenicians; the generative principle. [Phoenician Rel.: Parrinder, 38] symbolizes fecundity. [Gk. Myth.: Jobes, 397] goddess of fertility; counterpart of Faunus. [Rom. Myth.: Zimmerman, 43]
symbol of nourishment and fecundity. [Ren. Art: Hall, 52] horned deity of fecundity, associated with snakes. [Celtic Myth.: Parrinder, 58] nature goddess whose magical cauldron was misused. [Celtic Myth.: Parrinder, 58] beloved maiden, goddess of new, green crops. [Gk. Myth.: Parrinder, 62] Irish goddess of fertility. [Irish Myth.: Jobes, 349] symbolizes fecundity. [Folklore: Jobes, 350] presented to women who want to be mothers. [Ind. Folklore: Binder, 85] nature’s fruitfulness assured by orgiastic rites honoring her. [Phrygian Myth.: Parrinder, 68; Jobes, 400] goddess of fecundity; Welsh equivalent of Irish Danu. [Brythonic Myth.: Leach, 321; Jobes, 461] (h)da god of abundance, war, healing. [Celtic Myth.: Parrinder, 68; Jobes, 405] (Dāgan) fish-corn god symbolizing fecundity and abundance. [Babyl. Myth.: Parrinder, 71; Jobes, 405] goddess of fecundity. [Gk. Myth.: Jobes, 429–430] emblem of fecundity. [Folklore: Jobes, 163] a traditional pictorial identification of Pan, pastoral god of fertility. [Gk. Myth.: Jobes, 373] signifies fecundity. [Mexican Folklore: Binder, 17] traditional headdress of Pomona, goddess of fertility. [Rom. Myth.: Jobes, 373] traditional pictorial identification of Flora, goddess of flowers and fertility. [Rom. Myth.: Jobes, 373] goddess of agriculture, peace, and plenty. [Norse Myth.: Payton, 257] traditional headdress of Bona Dea, goddess of fertility. [Rom. Myth.: Jobes, 373] symbol of fruitfulness. [Color Symbolism: Jobes, 356] believed to promote fertility. [Art: Hall, 157] symbolizes fecundity. [Bengali Folklore: Binder, 67] gives birth to eight sons in ten years. [Nor. Lit.: Kristin Lavransdatter, Magill I, 483–486] goddess of fertility. [Babyl. Myth.: Leach, 776] what to do with so many children? [Nurs. Rhyme: Opie, 434]
Sabine goddess of fecundity. [Rom. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 782] symbolic of bride’s hope for fruitfulness. [Br. and Fr. Tradition: Brewer Dictionary, 784] goddess of gardens and fruit trees. [Rom. Myth.: Zimmerman, 218] indicates abundance. [Heraldry: Halberts, 36] symbol of fecundity. [Animal Symbolism: Mercatante, 125–126] worshiped orgy and fertility; mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia. [Gk. Myth.: NCE, 1796] in powdered form, considered powerful fertility agent. [Eastern Culture: Misc.] only effective time for sowing seeds. [Gardening Lore: Boland, 31] color of fecundity, relating to yellow sun and earth. [Eastern Color Symbolism: Binder, 78] Fertility in animals, the capacity to bear offspring, compensating under normal conditions for natural mortality. Fertility, which developed in the course of evolution, is associated with longevity and varies in species with different types of reproduction. Monocyclic animals, that is, those that reproduce once in a lifetime, usually bear numerous offspring. Polycyclic animals, each of whose females may bear several litters, are usually less fertile. Animals with a long life-span bear one or two per litter; litters often are not produced every year. Short-lived animals, such as small rodents, can reproduce several times a year, bearing as many as ten to 15 young per litter. The fertility of animals changes with age and, in species with repeated reproduction, varies regularly with the seasons. Changes in the food supply and climatic conditions cause fertility to vary from year to year. N. P. NAUMOV The fertility that is characteristic of each species also characterizes agricultural animals. For example, cows and mares usually carry a single fetus. Cows produce twins 1-3 percent of the time, and mares 1-1.5 percent of the time. Births of three to seven calves and four foals have been recorded. Sows, depending on the breed, bear an average of six to 12 shoats per litter. The most fertile sows may produce 17 to 20 young (sometimes as many as 30). Sheep and goats, as a rule, yield an average of one or two offspring. Romanov sheep produce two or three lambs (sometimes as many as nine). Rabbits bear an average of five or six young (up to 18). In captivity the fox produces four offspring, the sable three, the arctic fox eleven, and the mink five. Maximal use of the natural reproductive capacities of animals is important in animal breeding. It is an indispensable condition for expanded reproduction of a herd. Domestication and the accompanying changes in the life of agricultural animals have for the most part fostered an increase in fertility, which is conditioned not only by the genetic nature of an organism but also by its physiological state and by external factors. Increased fertility may be transmitted to offspring and be established by selection and culling as an important breed characteristic. For this reason fertility is taken into account in evaluating animals and selecting them for breeding. Prolonged inbreeding or interspecific hybridization often causes a decrease or complete loss of fertility in the offspring. An increase in the fertility of agricultural animals may be best ensured through proper feeding, maintenance, and use of the animals; proper rearing of the young; the use of stimulators (for example, pregnant mare serum); and the prevention and eradication of disease. REFERENCESSee references under DOMESTIC ANIMALS.Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup |
|---|