Last updated on October 21, 2020
Question:
Why does a woman only produce one egg per month?
Answer:
Each egg released represents a potential child that can develop during that cycle. The woman’s body is ideally designed to produce one child at a time, though it can handle two, three, or more with difficulty. To avoid difficulties, each ovary takes a turn releasing one egg every other month. At times, the ovaries may get their signals cross and both release an egg at the same time. This is where fraternal twins come from. Even rarer, but still possible, is for one ovary to accidentally release multiple eggs at once. These days, this often happens when a woman takes fertility drugs because she is having difficulty conceiving. It doesn’t happen very often naturally.