Womb Facts Every Woman Should Know

I remember when I got pregnant with my one and only child and morning sickness kicked in and then it kept kicking in. I remember thinking, "nobody told me that morning sickness doesn't just happen in the morning." Then as the pregnancy progressed and I felt my insides literally shift to make room for the baby I was going to be carrying, I remember again thinking that nobody told me I'd feel this either.

When it comes to a woman's body, there are so many things she is not taught and it isn't just pregnancy either. There are so many things that a girl and women have to figure out on their own, and if they are lucky they get to hear these conversations in passing or amongst their group of friends. Although, for a majority of women, there are just a lot of things about their bodies and how it functions that they just don't know.

I've made sure to break the cycle with my only child, who is a girl, and who thanks to my graphic teaching and her desire to be a judge, does not want children. She isn't the only one I've broken the cycle with as I've had countless lectures with her friends about their bodies, telling them how it works that their own mothers haven't told them, and so I feel compelled to share the love here.

Here are eight things to know about how your body works.

Body Fact #1:

At birth, a woman has 1-2 million eggs. By puberty, only 300,000 remain. A woman only uses about 500 in her life. If she doesn't give birth, she uses less. ALL eggs die at menopause.

Body Fact #2:

The human egg is one of the biggest cells in a woman’s body. It is about the size of a grain of sand and can actually be seen with the naked eye. To put this into perspective, an egg is about 4 times bigger than a skin cell, 26 times bigger than a red blood cell, and 16 times bigger than a man's sperm! So while your skin is the biggest organ, if you're a woman, your egg is your biggest cell.

Body Fact #3:

Once the egg has matured and is released from the ovary during ovulation, it goes into the fallopian tube where it lives for 12 to 24 hours being bored and just waiting around for something to do. Glad I'm not an egg!

Body Fact #4:

Your womb has so much power: The egg actually chooses which sperm gets in. The egg gives preference to sperm with intact and powerful aura DNA, producing a compound that softens the outer layer of the egg to allow specific sperm to enter. Studies suggest that the egg even actively bind sperm to its surface, thereby not giving the sperm any choice in the matter, trapping the sperm it has chosen. Once a sperm has made its way in, the outer layer of the egg hardens, which prevents entry to any other suitors. Only the strongest make it through, the weak have no chance!

Body Fact #5:

Your ovaries aren't just useful during your period time. Your ovaries also make hormones that help protect you against heart disease and weak bones. Your ovaries are powerful!

Body Fact #6:

The womb (uterus) is the strongest muscle in the body by weight. The uterus has multiple layers of muscle tissue that run in every direction, spiral together, and are extremely strong. A laboring uterus uses its strength and exerts incredible pressure to push a baby out into the world, and is the strongest force exerted by any muscle in the body.

Body Fact #7:

Your menstrual blood can heal. Yes, the blood that clots in your womb sometimes giving you the worst cramps in the world, can actually heal your body. Your menstrual blood is rich in these stem cells which are found to be adaptive within the body to heal a wide variety of diseases. The stem cells in menstrual blood are being researched to treat a wide variety of conditions including strokes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's, diabetes, wounds, neurodegenerative diseases and more. A women’s menstrual blood has the most abundant source of stem cells available. Although, when you're cramping it sure doesn't feel very healing!

Body Fact #8:

Imbalanced hormones are the root cause of infertility. Your ovaries are in charge of creating hormones. Upon creation of the hormone, a message is then sent to your pituitary gland, which is in charge of the functioning of the hormone. If you are going through negative things or have trauma, and/or not eating correctly, both the ovaries and your pituitary glands are impacted.

So, what can be surmised from these eight facts? That the woman's body is more physically powerful than even she realizes. From choosing the right sperm for the job to healing all sorts of diseases, women are the best! She doesn't have to be able to lift anything heavy or work in construction or on cars to prove her strength. Her body alone is proof that she is strong, she is powerful, she is needed. Sure glad, I am a woman!