Page 82 - The Cell in 40 Topics

he duties undertaken in the female body by molecules pro-
duced by the follicle—in other words the estrogen—reveal
yet another of the miracles in God's creation. Let us briefly
survey these duties: One of the organs affected by the hormone estrogen is
the uterus, which is where the fertilized egg will implant itself and divide
and grow. Under the influence of estrogen, preparations in the uterus are
begun. The walls of the uterus increase in thickness three to five times and
are enriched with capillary vessels (Figure 66). If fertilization takes place,
then these vessels will meet the embryo's nutritional needs.
This is a true miracle, because the still-developing follicle literally con-
siders the future of the egg cell inside it, takes the requisite measures for the
egg's future nourishment, and ensures that the uterus is prepared to re-
ceive the egg it will harbor in the future.
Of course, this raises a number of questions:
1. How does the follicle know that after being released, the egg cell
will reach the uterus and remain there? How does it know that the uterus'
capillary vessels will provide nourishment for the egg cell? How does it

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