Highlights of a Phenomenological Embryology

Professionals in prenatal psychology most often refer to prenatal existence and prenatal experience in the sense of fetal existence. From a biological point of view however, prenatal existence also includes the phase of embryonic life. Embryonic life is a matter of organogenesis and somatogenesis. The fetus is distinguishable from the embryo by the fact that in the former the body plan has been completed in principle. In the embryo it is still developing and in progress. The limit between embryo and fetus is said to be at about 10 weeks of development after conception.