• the male sperm and female ovum unite to form a viable zygote ; fertilization.

• The entity formed by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; an embryo or zygote.

Here's a primer on conception:
Ovulation: Each month, a group of immature eggs start to develop in small fluid-filled cysts called follicles start developing in one of a woman's two ovaries, . Normally, one of the follicles is selected to complete development (maturation). This "dominant follicle" suppresses the growth of all of the other follicles, which stop growing and degenerate. The egg is released from the mature follicle. About two weeks before a woman's next menstrual period begins Ovulation generally occurs .

Development of Corpus Luteum: After ovulation, the ruptured follicle develops into a structure called the corpus luteum, which secretes two hormones, progesterone and estrogen. The progesterone helps prepare the endometrium (lining of the uterus) for the embryo to implant by thickening it.

Release of Egg: The egg is released and travels into the fallopian tube where it remains until a single sperm penetrates it during fertilization (the union of egg and sperm; see below). The egg can be fertilized for about 24 hours after ovulation. On average, about two weeks after your last menstrual period ovulation and fertilization occurs .

Menses: If no sperm is around to fertilize the egg it and the corpus luteum will degenerate, removing the high level of hormones. This causes the endometrium to slough off, menstrual bleeding results . Then the cycle repeats itself.

Fertilization: After ovulation, if sperm does meet and penetrate a mature egg it will fertilize it. When the sperm penetrates the egg, changes occur in the protein coating around it to prevent other sperm from entering. your baby's genetic make-up is complete, including its sex at the moment of fertilization, . Since the mother can provide only X chromosomes (she's XX), if a Y sperm fertilizes the egg, your baby will be a boy (XY); if an X sperm fertilizes the egg, your baby will be a girl (XX).

Implantation: Within 24-hours after fertilization, the egg begins dividing rapidly into many cells. For about three days it remains in the fallopian tube . The fertilized egg (called a zygote) continues to divide as it passes slowly through the fallopian tube to the uterus where its next job is to attach to the endometrium (a process called implantation). First the zygote becomes a solid ball of cells, then it becomes a hollow ball of cells called a blastocyst. Before implantation, the blastocyst breaks out of its protective covering. When the blastocyst establishes contact with the endometrium, an exchange of hormones helps the blastocyst attach. Some women notice spotting (or slight bleeding) for one or two days around the time of implantation. The endometrium becomes thicker and a plug of mucus seals the cervix .

Within three weeks, the blastocyst cells begin to grow as clumps of cells within that little ball, and the baby's first nerve cells have already formed. from the moment of conception to the eighth week of pregnancy, Your developing baby is called an embryo . Your developing baby is called a fetus after the eighth week and until the moment of birth.

Pregnancy Hormones: Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) is a hormone present in your blood from the time of conception and is produced by the cells that form the placenta. This is the hormone detected in a pregnancy test; but, it usually takes three to four weeks from the first day of your last period for the levels of hCG to be high enough to be detected by pregnancy tests.

The development stages of pregnancy are called trimesters, or three-month periods, because of the distinct changes that occur in each stage.