Fertilisation is where it all begins – yet the process itself is so delicate and precise that it’s almost hard to believe it works at all. It starts with ovulation. About two weeks before your next period, a mature egg is released from the ovary. Tiny fingerlike structures at the end of the fallopian tube gently catch it, guiding it inward with small rhythmic waves.

At the same time, millions of sperm cells begin their long journey upward through the vagina, cervix, and into the uterus. Only a few hundred make it to the fallopian tube, and perhaps just one will survive long enough to reach the egg. Each sperm moves with purpose, but only one will succeed in breaking through the egg’s protective layer.

When that moment happens, two cells merge – and something entirely new begins. The genetic material from both the egg and sperm combine to form a unique set of DNA, one that has never existed before. At that very moment, life begins at the smallest possible scale: a new person’s story quietly starts to unfold.

Within hours, the first cell divides into two, then four, then eight, then sixteen. The embryo begins its slow journey toward the uterus, a trip that takes around five days. When it finally arrives, it gently attaches itself to the soft lining of the womb – and pregnancy officially begins.

All of this happens silently, without pain, without you ever feeling it. Yet your body knows exactly what it’s doing. Every step follows a rhythm as old as life itself.

Alma’s advice:

• Think of fertilisation as collaboration, not performance – your body and nature work together.

• You don’t have to control every step; trust is also part of the process.

• Let the thought of everything happening inside you bring awe, not anxiety.

Fertilisation isn’t magic – but it’s as close to magic as biology ever gets.