Eli5: If men have millions of sperm per load, and women have hundreds of thousands of eggs, why does it take some couples months or years for the woman to become pregnant? Even if either is person has a lower count, all you need is 1 of each to meet

Question

Eli5: If men have millions of sperm per load, and women have hundreds of thousands of eggs, why does it take some couples months or years for the woman to become pregnant? Even if either is person has a lower count, all you need is 1 of each to meet

In: 1

Answer 1

Watch the opening sequence of Look Who’s Talking. Ruined The Beach Boys song but have a visual of fertilization.

Now imagine sperm doesn’t move fast enough, the egg is misplaced or inconsistent, or that the joined cells don’t attach to the uterus properly. (It’s gotta stick.) Those are the major issues. That’s why fertility treatments often result in multiple births— it encourages egg release, depending on the issue.