We've previously discussed the fertile window and the biomarkers of fertility.  Let’s now focus on the moment of conception – when sperm meets egg – in the fallopian tube.  Heads up: I will use clinical terminology to make the information clear here.  I recognize that this topic and language might make some feel very uncomfortable.  I do want to share, though, knowing correct terms for physiology can be important when trying to get help. A lot of people don’t understand what is happening when pregnancy occurs (or doesn’t) and are confused when they have questions.  Do we need to understand?  Not always.  But there is a beautiful, created, design in our intimate physiology that can inspire us to glorify the Creator because what we can understand about our childbearing years is even more incredible the more we learn.

An intimate relationship with our spouse creates a unique setting for the growth of a baby, and the development of God’s kingdom.  The more connected we are in communication and love as a couple, the more we, and our children, and our community, and our world, benefit.  Being intimate will always be the foundational aspect of healthy human growth.  There are no modern clinical techniques that can achieve conception within the intimacy of a loving and nourished marriage.

A man and woman should have intercourse at ovulation with male ejaculation into the vagina for conception to occur.  A males’ sperm are the smallest cells in the body and resemble the shape of a tadpole.  There should be millions of sperm every time a man orgasms (though numbers are declining).  Orgasm is the peak of sexual pleasure when pleasure hormones heighten, and the body releases tension and pressure.  When a male experiences orgasm, he ejaculates (ejects) seminal fluid.  This fluid, also known as semen, is the liquid that transports the sperm through a woman’s cervical fluid.  If this occurs when female orgasm occurs, conception is far more likely.

With female orgasm, the muscles of the vagina and uterus contract and create a wave-like pattern that pulls the sperm up through the vagina and towards the cervix.  The cervix is high and points towards her back at ovulation.  This allows more room in the vagina for a penis to comfortably enter.  The upper part of the vagina acts as a sort of bowl.  Most of the sperm will stay here as the muscle contractions to cause the cervix to “dip” down into this bowl and pull some of the semen into the uterus.

Sperm can only survive in egg-white fertile cervical fluid from a balanced microbiome.  The pH of the vagina and uterus can’t be too low, or infection will occur, and can’t be too high or sperm will die.  The egg, still in the fallopian tube, also emits chemicals that draw sperm towards itself.  Only one sperm reaches one egg for a single gestational pregnancy.  If a woman releases two, or more, mature eggs, more than one egg might be fertilized by more than one sperm, resulting in paternal twins.  If one egg splits into two after fertilization, maternal twins develop.  Regardless, at the moment a sperm enters an egg, a chemical reaction in the egg immediately occurs and a barrier develops preventing other sperm from entering.  There is some evidence that indicates there could be a flash of light, known as a zinc spark, around this now-conceived-and-developing human.  Whether this has been proved or not, we don’t know, but amazing nonetheless.  The Lord chooses if conception occurs, and it is nothing short of a miracle!

The baby now rapidly develops, multiplying cells, where over 4,000 neurological connections are made every second throughout a pregnancy.  This developing baby will continue their journey through the fallopian tube and into the uterus where the placenta will attach so the baby can be nourished for development until birth.

The health of the sperm and egg, the pH and microbial balance in the mother, the communication and experience of pregnancy, and God’s knitting hands, will now intricately shape this new human.

I hope you can see the elegance in the intimacy of this creation.  The more aware we are of our whole-body, and how our relationship encourages wellness in conception, we may choose to more intentionally impact our future generations.  Every choice we make is a ripple effect for God’s kingdom.  There is no part of this, whether we understand it or not, that is happenchance.