We were all taught that pregnancy happens when a sperm army penetrates a female egg. Recent scientific discoveries about the moment of conception tell us otherwise. It’s time to rewrite the creation story of each human life to showcase the power of female receptivity and choice. We now understand that it is the egg that selects the sperm. This discovery gives us a beautiful way to think about the natural forces that create new life.
The act of creating a child is part of a sacred, mysterious, and biological miracle. Even unplanned pregnancies are orchestrated by powerful forces that defy our conscious mind. It is no wonder that people use art, poetry and music to express the essence of love and passion. Luckily science is starting to crack the code of this unpredictable aspect of being human.
It all Starts with a Kiss
Our nose and mouth are covered with an oily substance called sebum. Research shows that sebum is filled with pheromones, which are the chemicals that broadcast information about a person’s biological makeup. The exchange of pheromones during a kiss causes individuals to become more or less sexually attracted to each other. It all depends on what their biological systems detect. Apparently people prefer the pheromones of individuals who have a different type of immune system than their own. Evolutionary biologists believe that this genetic difference is good for the immune system of offspring.
Today, the most widely accepted theory of kissing is that humans do it because it helps us sniff out a quality mate. When our faces are close together, our pheromones “talk” — exchanging biological information about whether or not two people will make strong offspring. — Livescience
You Put a Spell on Me
The neurobiology of love and relationships shows us that we can become unconsciously addicted to our own neurotransmitters. Our neocortex does its’ best to direct our conscious intention yet sometimes we are helpless in the face of attraction. It is this beautiful balance between unconscious drive and conscious intention that makes humans so interesting. Practices like sacred sexuality and tantra have been around for centuries to help people manage the powerful forces of passion.
Sometimes the mind wants what the body does not want, and vice-versa. Our mind changes with the ebb and flow of hormones. No wonder we humans have developed such elaborate cultural traditions and myths to help us navigate this most primal drama. It can be a struggle, a conquest or even a harmonious dance between two people. It all depends on how you most enjoy relating to it. Yet if your approach is filled with respect and humility it will always yield positive results.
“If an egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If broken by inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from inside.” -Jim Kwik
The All-Powerful Egg
We all know the myth about an army of warrior sperm invading the uterus to save the dying egg. It is like a fairy tale. The eager sperm racing to outperform each other and save the “damsel-in-distress” (egg). The winning sperm penetrates the egg and creates conception.
Yet it is actually not true biologically-speaking. The sperm are actually weak swimmers. The stronger ones help the weaker ones through the uterine mucous. It’s like migrating birds or a team of bicyclists taking turns to lead the way. Rather than a race or conquest it is a cooperation. As the sperm arrive at the egg, the egg that chooses a sperm, pulls it towards her.
“Her (Emily Martin’s) efforts to spotlight the male- skewed imagery that permeates our views of reproduction have placed her at the centre of a growing debate about how cultural myths can turn into scientific myths, and vice versa.” -Discovery Magazine
The selected sperm actually tries to swim away but is tethered to the egg by female hormones. The membrane around the egg literally opens up and swallows the sperm. So much for the myth of the lone warrior sperm!
The heroic battle metaphor calls for a winner that dominates the pack. Instead this process is more about cooperation towards a shared impulse to create life. The womb and birth experience leave emotional imprints for the life of a being. Indeed we each have our very own creation story.
“Prior to fertilization, a cloud of cumulus cells surrounding the egg release progesterone, the female sex hormone, triggering a calcium influx into the sperm. This flood of calcium causes the sperm to beat their flagella rapidly, an action necessary to penetrate through the egg’s protective jelly-like protein coating. Progesterone has also been implicated in providing a chemical gradient by which sperm can navigate toward the egg.” -The Scientist
To Conquer or Cooperate?
Manipulating and controlling outcomes is something that humans do quite well. Each gender has its’ own style, strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the lure of romance leading to procreation. How does the myth versus the biological reality shape the way we engage in this dance?
The knight in shining armor and damsel in distress myth have been adopted well beyond the movies or fairy tales. We see this hero myth playing out in every aspect of our society. It fills history books, political narratives, art, poetry and music. The world is ruled by stories… How does the world change when our stories for describing it change?
Flipping the Script
Emily Martin, a Ph.D in Cultural Anthropology, has spent much time exploring this concept. These myths influence scientific inquiry, as well as social beliefs about human biology, our bodies, and the world around us. In her book, The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction, takes a deep dive into this topic. She studies the dialectic between medical metaphors for women’s reproductive processes and women’s own views of those processes.
Meanwhile, Scott Gilbert, a developmental biologist at Swarthmore College has creative way to look at it. He “prefers to think of the egg as engaging in a dialog with the sperm rather than gluing it down.” It is paradigm-shifting to consider this biological exchange to be a collaborative dance.
“If you don’t have an interpretation of fertilization that allows you to look at the egg as active, you won’t look for the molecules that can prove it. You simply won’t find activities that you don’t visualize.” -Scott Gilbert
We all look to science, yet scientists are also influenced by our cultural myths and attitudes. Humans are being invited to collaborate in unprecedented ways. The stories of conquest are evolving to embrace the idea of co-creating.
As we confront global issues like environmental challenges and nuclear war, this will be a helpful development. The notion of conquest allows for one winner. Meanwhile collaboration allows for us to all win. The idea of working with nature and biology for mutual success is actually quite refreshing.
Biological observation, just like spiritual mindfulness and presence, can show us new ways to shape our lives, culture, and world. It is a subtle and beautiful dance that requires equal parts listening, observing, and action. How does learning that the egg chooses the sperm change the way you view the act of conception?
