The first aim of the module is to provide students with an understanding of the regulation of follicular development, oestrous cycle in animals. Students will have the opportunity to study the physiological changes in the female and male reproductive systems through puberty and into sexual maturity. Throughout the module the student should become familiar with how these systems have been key to the development of assisted reproductive technologies and advancement in modern breeding systems within commercial livestock, companion animals and wildlife species. The second aim of the module is to understand the oocyte development and formation, through to the free living blastocyst. Highlighting the changes that occur in the pregnant mother and developing foetus throughout this crucial time. You will also get to examine the physiological processes that determine prenatal growth and development of mammals and how the allocation of nutrients at different stages of development can impact the efficiency of nutrient utilization in the growing conceptus.