Cultural change and the reproductive cycle

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Gynecology
• Human physiology

Background:

• Modern human female reproductive physiology, characterized by frequent ovulatory menstrual cycles, deviates significantly from ancestral patterns.
• These frequent cycles are increasingly recognized as unphysiological, essentially representing repeated abortive reproductive attempts.
• This deviation from ancestral reproductive patterns is linked to various significant medical conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the unphysiological nature of frequent ovulatory menstrual cycles in modern human females.
• To establish the link between altered reproductive cycles and the incidence of medical conditions.
• To propose menstrual cycle suppression as a therapeutic strategy.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of historical and modern human female reproductive patterns.
• Review of medical literature linking menstrual cycle characteristics to disease incidence.
• Evaluation of the potential benefits of menstrual cycle suppression.

Main Results:

• Frequent ovulatory menstrual cycles are a recent phenomenon in human reproductive history.
• A significant number of medical conditions are associated with these frequent, unphysiological cycles.
• Menstrual cycle suppression demonstrates potential in mitigating these conditions.

Conclusions:

• The 'normal' menstrual cycle is a modern, unphysiological construct.
• Altered reproductive cycles contribute to significant gynecological and systemic diseases.
• Menstrual cycle suppression presents a viable approach to reduce disease burden.