Human reproduction is commonly portrayed as a gigantic marathon swimming event in which the fastest, fittest sperm wins the race and prize of fertilising the egg. Yet another male dominated fantasy about the creation of life. The notion that human sperm once ejaculated, begin a frantic race to reach the egg has completely overshadowed the real story of reproduction.
A 2020 study revealed that in fact there is a communication system between the EGG and sperm. The egg has the ability to repel certain sperm with a molecular mechanism causing them to swim slower and also attract certain sperm by releasing a chemoattractant helping them move faster. Cervical mucus called L- Mucus helps filter out any low quality sperm, Bye Boy!
In the study Fitzpatrick is quoted “Follicular fluid from one female was better at attracting sperm from one male, while follicular fluid from another female was better at attracting sperm from a different male…. This shows that interactions between human eggs and sperm depend on the specific identity of the women and men involved.”
Once SHE makes her choice and the sperm begins to penetrate the egg, the egg then releases a chemical response that causes all of the other sperm’s heads to pop off. Yep, mass decapitation. ⠀
And to keep things in perspective, the male sperm is the smallest cell in the human body while the female egg is the largest.
📄:Fitzpatrick, J. L. et al 2020 chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans Proc. R. Soc.
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