There once was a thing, ovulation,
Necessary for human creation.
But it cannot be seen, and what does this mean?
Is there a Christian explanation?
One interesting thing about visiting California is once again seeing the Los Angeles Times. Then lo and behold, in the opinion page the other day, I found an article on the fascinating subject of concealed estrus, or hidden ovulation is human females. Of course, this article is written from an evolutionary perspective, and the evolutionists are perplexed as to why human females, as opposed to almost all other mammalians, have a fertile cycle that cannot be overtly detected by others. Some possible reasons for this, according to evolutionists, are:
"Maybe concealed ovulation is a biological ploy to keep men around. After all, if our great-great-grandfathers didn't know when our great-great-grandmothers were ovulating, they might have been more likely to stick close to home, thereby minimizing the likelihood that some gallivanting neighbor — instead of themselves — would give rise to the next generation."
"Or maybe the evolutionary pressure worked in the opposite direction, and instead of generating monogamy, concealed ovulation began as a way to give prehistoric women greater flexibility in their reproductive choices. If men knew when women were ovulating, they might have guarded them closely only during those times."
"Or maybe the evolutionary pressure to conceal ovulation is a strategy to keep such reproductively relevant information hidden from other females, especially dominant ones who might interfere with a subordinate's reproduction."
(Before I move on to why concealed estrus makes perfect sense from the Christian perspective, I want to say how odd it is, while usually denying a Creator God, evolutionists speak of "forces" like "Biological Ploy" and "Evolutionary Pressure" as if they were a Creator with conscious power to mold the direction of humanity's future. R.C. Sproul often makes this same observation about "Chance", noting how often it seems to be spoken of as if it has causal power within itself.)
Anyway, hidden ovulation is not a mystery at all if you take as your presupposition the Christian ethic of sexuality. If people are created to form lifelong monogamous bonds, it would defeat that purpose if women's bodies somehow sent out a signal to every man that they were "ready and willing". That a woman's most fertile time is not obvious also makes sense in light of the fact that for people, the sexual relationship is about more than reproduction.
Another thing that separates us from other mammalians is the fact that we can use our sexuality in a sinful way. Our sexual desire is in part based on a "chemistry" between people that has nothing to do with the most beneficial time for reproduction. This is usually one factor we use when determining who we will choose for our spouse. But in a fallen world, this chemistry that draws us to our mate can also draw us away from him. In the animal kingdom there is no such thing as infidelity.
While it is true that there are not extremely overt signs of human female fertility, there are indications that can be seen privately, and it is a pity that, as the article points out, most women are not even aware of their own ovulation. This would help relieve the problem of some cases of female infertility, as well as unwanted pregnancies (this is not meant to be a moral discussion of birth control). Understanding the female cycle can also help married couples avoid the common problem of him being interested and her not, because, although it is more subtle than the chimpanzee's pink bottom, women do tend to have more interest in that side of life when they are fertile, and knowing that can help both partners be more understanding in this area.
There are also external manifestations...meaning that most of us gals look prettier during the fertile period! I can actually look at pictures of myself from years past and tell where I was in my cycle at that time. And on an Intellectuelle note, many women also find that mid-cycle, their brainpower is significantly increased. I would love to do an informal study to see whether female bloggers produce their best entries during the estrogen-dominant time.
One of the themes of The times article was the fact that there is still much that science can't explain. There is also much that we Christians cannot understand about ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes, I think, Christians allow themselves to be intimidated by the voice of science, and it is important to remember that all of us, believer and non-believer alike, are finite and fallen in our understanding, and are faced with the creation and purposes of One Who is Infinite and Holy. I think that is is comforting, though, that we believers have the Infinite-Personal God to trust in our ignorance, rather than the impersonal universe in whom many believe, but no one can trust.
