Sciencemadness Discussion Board

The fascinating menstruation

Wolfram - 15-5-2004 at 15:30

Women who live together for a longer time synchrinize their menstruation by some mechanism. Do you have any idea how this could happen?
Are there any theories? Is it only by coincidence that the menstruation cycle is 29 days long, I dont think so. So is the mentruation regulated by the gravity of the moon and by what mechanism could that be possibe?

For me who think Im a rational human this is really sceary. It shouldn´t be like this that other people could manipulate us with chemical signals like this...
There could be so many other strange mechanisms which affect us in almost a "magical" way without that we notice them....

chemoleo - 15-5-2004 at 16:40

Ever noticed women smell differently when they menstruate? ;) I didn't, but others apparently do. Must be some feedback hormonal thing. Phermomones (of which only one is known in humans, androsterone) also act by ways we cannot smell/taste. Yet it works. I bet this is something similar.

Saerynide - 15-5-2004 at 20:30

Yeah, my AP Bio teacher mentioned this in class. She didnt say which hormone it was though.
Quote:

Ever noticed women smell differently when they menstruate? I didn't, but others apparently do.

You know people who can notice this?? :o I never noticed. I guess that's cause you can't smell your own phermones/hormones :P

Proteios - 15-5-2004 at 23:00

I can tell. It a heavy bloody smell... kinda like the 'smell of a nose bleed'. Most women are consious of it too, and being painfully self aware creatures try to cover it up. My first thought on smelling lots of perfume is ' on the blob....'.

Not quite sure how this thread fits into a chemistry forum.... but what the hell!

One intressting thing..

Wolfram - 16-5-2004 at 07:29

One intressting thing is the evolutionary orgin of this mechanism. Any ideas?

axehandle - 16-5-2004 at 08:43

Quote:

Ever noticed women smell differently when they menstruate? I didn't, but others apparently do. Must be some feedback hormonal thing. Phermomones (of which only one is known in humans, androsterone) also act by ways we cannot smell/taste. Yet it works. I bet this is something similar.

I've only noticed the difference in taste... but now I might be gross.

Geomancer - 16-5-2004 at 19:01

The last I heard, the existence of human pheremones was a subject of contention. At any rate, I'm pretty sure that adrosterone is a pig pheremone, and not active in humans. Also, note that pheremones may be odorless--they are detected (in mammals) via a gizmo called the vomeronasal organ.

Ocillators with similar periods have a tendency to synchronize. Some mathematicians study this, with some examples being certain fireflies and applause. I remember reading about a clockmaker who was surprised that the pendulums of all his displayed clocks beat together, apparently sychronized via vibrations in the wall.

Don't restrict yourselves to chemical mechanisms either. Back in the olden days menstruation (when it occurred--people were often pregnant or whatnot) likely synchronized to the moon. Nowadays, it's more likely locked to the calender, in that birth control pills schedule it (possibly unnecessarily).

Interesting stuff, I'll see what I can find.

Yes thats the intressting part:

Wolfram - 16-5-2004 at 23:31

Yes thats the intressting part:

"..menstruation was sychronised to the moon."

How? Gravity of the moon affected special part of the brain? The visual sigth of fullmoon trigged the menstruation cycle to start possition?

One thing related to this that i just read about one guy in England who claims astrology not to be bogus. He claims that planet movement affects peoples brain development by changes in magnetic fields during pegnency, and that the solar system "plays symphonies" one the earths magnetic field, wich we are geneticaly programed to percept. "Yeah there sure are plenty of loonatics :D in England" you may think, but this persons name is Percy Seymour and he is normaly a well known and respected Astronomer.
That doesn´t mean he need to be right ofcourse..