Fertility

For the fertility of the isotopes in nuclear physics, to see fertile Isotope

For the common direction, the fertility indicates at the end of the 20th century the capacity of people, the animals or the plants to produce a viable and abundant descent. The term was generally applied to the Femme S, or the Femelle S of the animals, but apply more and more about male S, progressively of progress in the vision of the mechanisms of the reproduction and the best knowledge of the role of the Homme. The biological opposite of the fertility is the sterility . The index of fertility measurement in Demography the number of children per woman.

By extension, the term of fertility formerly rather reserved to the plant always applies to the Pâturage S and the Plante S, but also on the ground or the landscape, like the human spirit. (fertility of the ground).

History of the word

Of Latin fertilitas…
Since 1606, the French Academy uses the word only associated with the ground and the spirit. The Dictionary of the French Academy, in its 8th edition (1932-5) still does not evoke the quality of the spermatozoon or the ovule, nor the reproductive health, the fertility being defined only as “quality of what is fertile” , the “ fertility of a ground ” being the only example given, the other concerning in connection with the Spirit, the fertility of imagination. Let us note however that the Dictionary criticizes French language estimates that Fertilité should say only ground and plants. For the animals one must say fruitfulness specifies it. Its explanations imply that fruitfulness would be rather related to Nature, the fertility holding more art (sic), which evokes the following quotations: “the heat of the sun, the rain of the sky fertilize the ground; the ploughing, manures the fertilize ”. “A spirit, fortunately born, can be fertile in great ideas: a spirit naturally less fertile, can become Fertile by the culture, the study and work”.

Reproductive health

The human fertility depends on factors of Nutrition, of the sexual behaviors, the Culture, the Instinct, the Endocrinologie, the factor time, the economy, of the lifestyle and the emotion S. the animal fertility is not less complex, and can present astonishing mechanisms.

The fertility of the mammals and other animal species can be affected by certain Polluant S, or disturbing endocriniens, which can be factors direct or indirect of délétion of the Spermatogenèse or the Ovule S, or perturbing whole or part of the cycle of the reproduction because of their toxicity for the ovule, the Embryon, the Fœtus or because they interfere with the biological processes necessary to good progress of the pregnancy or the production of eggs. These phenomena are badly included/understood and are probably related to coktails of pollutants (Synergie S, Potentialization). Always it is that the average production of spermatozoon does not cease decreasing in the rich countries and with the 30 last years rytme, in 2070, if the decline were to continue, the average production of spermatozoon will be close to zero.

The biologists indicate by the word fitness the chances of successful reproduction (for example expressed by a probability, or the percentage of the young people which will survive until sexual maturity and which will be able to reproduce).

Sources and references

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