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by witchipoo on April 25th, 2005

witchipoo

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Why do the menstrual cycles of women living/working together become aligned?

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  • by kanjalid on April 28th, 2005

    kanjalid

    Although the exact mechanism is still unclear, it is widely suspected that this occurs due to odorless molecules called pheromones. Women (and men) secrete pheromones in a manner as common as sweating. In fact, the sweat of many mammals contains pheromone chemicals. The molecules from one woman bounce and jiggle their way airborne and waft to another. Receptors in the nose detect the pheromones and the second woman responds by shortening or lengthening her menstrual period. Gradually, over the course of a few months, the periods of all the women living together synchronize in this way.

    A study (that determined all this by Martha McClintock and Kathleen Stern) indicates the sweat probably contains two chemicals: one that lengthens menstrual cycles and one that shortens them. The two substances can act together to synchronize the cycles and sometimes to disrupt them.

    By the way, similar studies show that men's pheromones also affect women's menstrual periods. Women respond to these pheromones by shortening their periods and having them more regularly.



    http://www.wonderquest.com/pheromone.htm

    Comments

    • interesting addition is that all known human pheromones don't show any effect on men, only on women.

      dontaskidunno

      by dontaskidunno on February 8th, 2009

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