Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Digyny

Result of a diploid ovum becoming fertilized by a monoploid sperm

Digyny (also digynia) refers to the process of a diploid ovum becoming fertilized by a haploid sperm. The result of digyny is a triploid zygote. In humans, both gametes (ovum and sperm) are normally haploid and give rise to a diploid zygote.

Digyny results in gestational abnormalities in humans, including an abnormally small placenta and a very growth-restricted fetus. As a result, the majority of triploid pregnancies are spontaneously aborted. The incidence rate of a live-born triploid human is approximately 1 in 100,000.

Watch videos about DigynyExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Digyny, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.