Do Female Animals have Periods?
December 30, 2010
MalcT32
It is written to reveal how little we know about topics outside our expertise … Thursday, December 30, 2010
Do Female Animals have Periods?
A friend of mine forwarded this question at me few years back. I dismissed it hastily without actually giving it a thought, and yesterday while I was caressing my house cat it popped up on my mind.
Humans are mammals, humans breastfeed their children just like any other mammals . We give birth to live offspring, we have hair on our body, etc etc. But the phenomenon of female humans discarding blood every month seems unique to Homo Sapiens alone. Or is it? If it is unique to humans only, why? < br />
Well, to answer that we have to understand why women have periods. (Form 3 science class ~ ~)
Image: womenshealth.gov
The menstrual cycle affects every single woman every month from puberty to the menopause . Its function is to allow women to become pregnant and regulate the hormones in the body. The womb lining is thickened in preparation for pregnancy, and the ovaries have either released eggs or are about to release them with the stimulus of mating.
Image: drthom.com
In the majority of species, oestrus ( commonly called being n season or n heat is the only time the animal feels sexual desire, since it is the only time pregnancy can occur and it would be pointless to mate at any other time.
If a woman does not become pregnant during oestrus, the womb lining and unfertilised egg are discarded – this is menstruation, or aving a period
Image: emzorpharma.com
This, however , does not happen in animals – they do not discard vast amount of blood lightly. Unlike humans, managing resources wisely is a question of life and death for animals, thus every drop of blood is precious. Instead of shedding the womb lining they reabsorb it into their bodies.
There are reports about animals discharging blood during certain period of the month, which may lead some people to suggest the animal is having a period. Well, not exactly – the animal is ready to conceive, not getting rid of its womb lining after failing to conceive – that one vital difference between us and our mammalian friends. And the volume of blood they shed is relatively low compared to humans.
My housecat
The reason behind the difference is not known, though I think that evolution has a part to play. As we evolved, we developed ways to meet our basic needs. Invention of tools has enabled us to acquire food easily and to fend ourselves effectively. With food readily available, we no longer need to reabsorb the womb lining as a mean of saving precious resources because survival is guaranteed even when we discard the blood – it just a piece of my humble opinion.
Image: welkerswikinomics.com
So for all female readers out there; the next time you e out to buy the menstrual pad, buy one for your bitch too.
Malcolm.
info:
en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Estrous_cycle
Posted by malcolmx_87 at 9:15 AM
Labels: Science-biological science
Reactions:
1 comments:
jcdagreat said …
XDDecember 30, 2010 11:20 PM
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malcolmx_87
A football fanatic, carrying Yamaha RGX 1212S, with bicycle deck. Read TIME, Discovery and National Geographic Magazine. Doing Bsc. Physics at University of Malaya. Born 9th April 1987. Blunt and brutal at times.
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