Do girls who go together really flow together?
Hey guys, Amy with you on DNews today talking about one of the more common lady-myths: menstrual
synchrony, or the idea that women who spend a lot of time together find themselves menstruating
at the same time.
Since the 1970s, there have been a few studies to suggest that synchronized menstruation
is possible between roommates, lesbian couples, and sexually segregated groups of women.
But there have also been studies to suggest synchrony isn’t a real thing; roommates
who are not close friends and lesbian couples living together for a number of years have
been found to not sync their cycles.
Some studies have split the difference to find that women’s cycles adjust for closer
flow dates, but only by a day or two.
But more recent research says that synchrony isn’t really what’s happening.
Two separate studies done in 2006 found that menstrual synchrony is actually just chance.
It’s normal for a woman’s cycle to last anywhere from 21 to 35 days with menses lasting
between five and seven days.
And variations in that cycle are common.
Many women experience erratic or even missed periods.
So not only are regular periods actually quite irregular, there are all kinds of things that
can impact your cycle.
Stress is a common culprit, be it personal like a breakup, professional like losing your
job, or life stress like a moving to a new city.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure how this one works, but we know that stress affects
the hypothalamus gland that controls the pituitary gland that in turn controls the ovaries (among
other things) and help manage hormones.
And hormone imbalance can lead to a change in cycle.
We see this most commonly with medication.
Antidepressants and antipsychotics can elevate the pituitary hormone called prolactin that
can affect the hormones responsible for regulating your cycle.
Hormonal birth control also affects a woman’s cycle by preventing ovulation and thickening
cervical mucus to prevent pregnancy.
But even non-hormonal birth control like copper IUDs can disrupt a cycle just by virtue of
putting a foreign object inside the uterus.
Changes in diet and exercise can affect your cycle as well.
Working out typically more leads to shorter, lighter periods, but excessive exercise can
actually stop menstruation altogether.
It has to do with body fat.
Too little body fat and a woman stops ovulating.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, weight gain can cause the ovaries to produce extra
testosterone leading to longer cycles or missed periods.
Illness, too, though more serious illnesses than a common cold, can affect a cycle.
It’s not unheard of for a women to bleed while seriously ill with a virus, changing
her cycle’s start date.
But like all myths, there’s a grain of truth to the idea that women can sync by proximity.
Pheromones are the chemical substances we excrete through sweat that give other people
subtle messages about us.
One of these pheromones secreted in armpit sweat is called 5 alpha-androstenol and is
thought to be linked to menstrual synchrony.
So while it’s possible that smelling 5 alpha-androstenol affects women’s cycles leading them to sync,
it’s far more likely that all the other things that are known affect a woman’s period
are actually what causes the appearance of synchrony.
Because when you think about it, two women menstruating for around five days a month
would probably end up overlapping at some point.
So, ladies, have you ever found yourself seemingly syncing with a roommate or close friend?
Let us know in the comments below or you can find me and let me know directly on Twitter
as @astVintageSpace.
And don’t forget to subscribe for more DNews every day of the week.