One feature of human beings appears to be unique. It is the menopause. Humans are the only animal in which female fertility shuts down while they are still capable of having children. Most women stop producing eggs between 40 and 50, while they are still in the prime of life. Why? One theory is that it is a mistake. Women, through the stresses of civilisation have started to do this in error. The answer is hormone replacement therapy, which allows them to continue as before.
An alternative idea is that the menopause is an evolutionary adaptation that confers survival benefits on to the species. Alan Rogers of the University of Utah, has developed mathematical models which confirm the usefulness of the strategy. The idea is essentially that there is more advantage in a middle aged woman not having more children of her own but helping her own children and their children. Once a new child is going to take more than three years requiring mother’s attention, then the advantage of having grandma comes clearly into the equation. Furthermore, when it is considered that the grandma’s children, if she continued to have them, were increasingly likely to be left motherless before they reached adulthood, the selective pressure is still higher.
The reason for the evolution of human menopause is because human children need long and costly parental attention to bring them to maturity and so older women cannot continue to have children which she might not be able to see through to maturity but instead helps the survival of her own line by supporting her daughters.
Contrary to this Mormon idea, however, is the evidence of primitive societies that post menopausal women, far from taking on a granny role, become important figures in their societies. These women seem not to have the hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms of western women. One reason for this might be their higher levels of prolactin and oxymycin from breast feeding continually. Such women certainly do not have the negative feelings of lost youth felt by western women and display it often in a gusto for sex without concern. Menopause is therefore truly the natural contraceptive which evolved to let the labourers have some fun later in life!
Originally posted 2009-06-04 23:56:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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When you reach menopause, you may need some hormone replacement therapy just to stay on top shape.,;;
you can also reduce the sypmtoms of menopause by having hormone replacement therapy.:~~