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Evolution of the human menopause.

D P Shanley1, T B Kirkwood

  • 1Department of Gerontology, University of Newcastle, UK.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|February 27, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Menopause is an evolutionary puzzle. A combined model, incorporating risks of older maternal age and benefits of post-reproductive grandmothers, explains menopause's evolutionary advantage.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Human life history

Background:

  • Menopause, the cessation of reproduction, presents an evolutionary paradox as it appears to reduce Darwinian fitness.
  • Existing theories focus on unique human life history traits, such as infant altriciality and risks associated with late-life childbirth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively assess evolutionary theories explaining the persistence of menopause.
  • To evaluate whether proposed fitness benefits outweigh the costs, especially in ancestral environments with high mortality.

Main Methods:

  • Development and analysis of a combined evolutionary model.
  • Incorporation of hypotheses related to maternal age-related risks and grandmothering benefits.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Individual theories, when assessed independently, failed to adequately explain menopause.
  • A synthesized model, integrating both maternal risks and kin support, demonstrated explanatory power.

    • Conclusions:

    • Menopause likely evolved through a combination of factors, rather than a single cause.
    • The interplay between the risks of continued reproduction at older ages and the fitness benefits of post-reproductive assistance to kin provides a robust explanation.