Chapter
The Energetic Costs of Menstruation
04:25 - 11:23 (06:58)
Menstruation is an energy-intensive process, and in developing nations, women who are malnourished may stop menstruating altogether. Animals that have a uterus ready to accept an egg also expend more energy to maintain their uterus, leading to different reproductive cycles depending on the species.
Clips
This podcast episode talks about menstruation, a biological cycle that happens between the ages of 12 to 13 and the early fifties and averages 456 cycles throughout one's life.
04:25 - 06:55 (02:30)
Summary
This podcast episode talks about menstruation, a biological cycle that happens between the ages of 12 to 13 and the early fifties and averages 456 cycles throughout one's life. The hosts hope the listeners embrace it as a wonder of human biology.
ChapterThe Energetic Costs of Menstruation
EpisodeHow Menstruation Works
PodcastStuff You Should Know
Humans are one of only a handful of mammals that menstruate, which makes the practice pretty rare in the animal kingdom, and therefore not entirely understood.
06:55 - 08:16 (01:21)
Summary
Humans are one of only a handful of mammals that menstruate, which makes the practice pretty rare in the animal kingdom, and therefore not entirely understood. While other mammals undergo an ‘estrus cycle,’ with mating seasons and heat periods, menstruation has only evolved in a few species including humans, primates, some bat species, and even the elephant shrew.
ChapterThe Energetic Costs of Menstruation
EpisodeHow Menstruation Works
PodcastStuff You Should Know
Menstruation or estrus cycles (in animals) exist because there is a significant metabolic cost to keeping the uterus prepared for a fertilized egg, which means that animals that have their cycles continuously activated will expend significantly more energy keeping their uterus prepared than animals with cycles only triggered by sex.
08:16 - 11:23 (03:07)
Summary
Menstruation or estrus cycles (in animals) exist because there is a significant metabolic cost to keeping the uterus prepared for a fertilized egg, which means that animals that have their cycles continuously activated will expend significantly more energy keeping their uterus prepared than animals with cycles only triggered by sex.