By the end of the second month of pregnancy, what is the developing embryo recognized as?

By the end of the second month of pregnancy, the developing embryo is recognized as a fetus. This term is applied as the embryonic stage transitions into the fetal stage around the 8th week of pregnancy. At this point, organ systems begin to develop further, and the basic structures of the body have formed.

Understanding the stages of development is key: a zygote refers to the fertilized egg immediately after conception; a blastocyst is the stage that occurs shortly after fertilization when the cells begin to divide and prepare for implantation into the uterine wall; and the term "fertilized egg" is an earlier descriptor that encompasses the period right after sperm and egg fusion but before significant development has occurred. The correct term during this developmental stage, when structures are recognizable and the foundation for future growth is laid, is indeed a fetus.