The Biological Clock versus Women’s Time

We all know the concept of the Biological Clock and how it ticks for all women (and men). For all of us, there is a window of time in which pregnancy is a biological possibility. For most of us, our window of time in which to get pregnant is a few years after the first period – a time called menarche – and a few years before all of our eggs are exhausted – a time called menopause.

There are many concepts of time. The Biological Clocks functions according to linear time. Linear time is the notion of time that is most familiar to us. Minutes, days, and years are examples of linear time. It is our common notion of time and includes the chronological concept of early and later, before and after. It can be measured by the clock or the calendar. It begins, progressively unfolds and goes forward.

But there are other notions of time, besides linear time. One is women’s time. Women’s time is different from biological or linear time. It is cyclical, repetitive, iterative – an eternal recurrence of a biological rhythm. Your periods are a type of women’s time. Your hormones rise and fall and rise again in a repetitive, iterative fashion. In many ways, your body functions according to women’s time. Our ovaries produce eggs with genetic material that is eternal as it is passed down to our daughters who produced eggs with our genetic material passed on to our granddaughters as the generations continue. Time does move forward, but there is no beginning or end, no before or after. Women’s time is intuitive and mystical; it is time outside of logic and linear progression.

We will use the concept of women’s time to be curious about how we wait during fertility treatment and pregnancy. So let’s lean back in a comfortable chair, close our eyes, take some deep breaths and begin.