Re: Why do women have MONTHLY periods?

From: Comm (no_at_spam.com)
Date: 03/27/05 

Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 07:05:38 GMT

"Sylvia Knörr" <sylvia.knoerr_NoSpam_@t-online.de> wrote in message
news:d22at3$13n$01$1@news.t-online.com...
>
> "Comm" <tjsrno@spampost.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> news:bW10e.1420$gI5.796@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>> "Sylvia Knörr" <sylvia.knoerr_NoSpam_@t-online.de> wrote in message
>> news:d1q4rf$k2u$00$1@news.t-online.com...
>> > "Comm" <tjsrno@spampost.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>> > news:%YY%d.1829$H06.810@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
>> >> Actually, in my experience most women have them not so much every
> month,
>> > but
>> >> 30 or so days, 35 days, etc. Humans lost the estrus - and maybe
>> >> that's
>> >> something biologically serious to think about. WHY did we lose it?
> Imo,
>> >> perhaps it was a very bad omen that we lost it.
>
>> > Human females did not LOSE the estrus. It is just a "hidden estrus".
>
>> Nuh nuh, we lost the estrus - the biological estrus. Women, or most
>> women
>> have no idea when they are ovulating and there is no "demand" that males
>> mate with them during that time of mating. I'm using a very strict
>> biological meaning here.
>
> Agreed, in a strictly biological sense, humans lost the estrus. What I
> meant
> is that in other primates the estrus marks the time of ovulation. In
> humans,
> ovulation goes unmarked, although some tests reveal that female libido is
> slightly higher during the days of ovulation.
> Can you agree on "Human females have a hidden ovulation"?

Well, that's obvious, isn't it? That wasn't my point. See other posts and
what I said - that was my point.
>
>> > IMO, it is a good thing that it´s hidden and not known to men AND
>> > women.
>
>> I disagree. I see no gender war among animals that still have estrus and
>> seasons.
>
> The reason why there is no gender war among animals is because they don´t
> have self-consciousness to question their gender roles, not because they
> have estrus.

Disagree. Humans don't have self consciousness to get into "gender roles"
either - and not all humans HAVE gender roles at all. It's something taught
in some cultures (but not in every single culture).
>
>> > Thus we are encouraged to maintain good relationships to ALL virtual
>> > partners ALL the time, because each one could be the mother or father
>> > of
>> > our children.
>
>> Uh, where have you been? Most humans do not maintain good relationships
> with
>> partners at all. What you said sounds like idealism. It's far FAR from
> the
>> reality of human history and gender relations.
>
> Of course, relationships are far from being perfect, but do you think it
> would be any better if humans had visible estrus?

Yes. People with sex on the brain all the time, even when they are not even
horny, are imo, the most boring and bored people on the planet. That's
where the whole idea of 'sex ruining the life' comes from in some of the
monotheistic religions. It doesn't ruin the lives of cats or dogs - who,
btw, have no gender roles.

Everybody being in a state
> of sexual excitement and trying fervidly to mate - all at the same time?

Anyone that's horny 24/7 is not getting off.

> Chimps have it that way, and I don´t think it would be helpful in an urban
> society. :-)

Which chimps? Chimps do not have it that way. Definitely, cats and dogs
don't either.
>
>> > It also encouraged faithful monogamous partnerships.
>
>> Most societies are not monogamous. 50% of people that get married get
>> divorced in about 5 years. If that rate of failure occurred during
>> heart
>> transplants, they'd abandon the procedure.
>
> It need not be LIFELONG monogamy, but most people seek at least faithful
> relationships for a few years - long enough to raise a child.

No, 50% get divorced within 5 years - not long enough to raise a kid. As
soon as the women COULD free themselves from the men, they DID free
themselves. That's how that happened.

And I should
> have stressed the FAITHFUL part when I spoke about faithful monogamous
> partnerships. Indeed many societies practice polygamy (in various forms),
> but generally they require FAITHFULNESS.
>
>> > This detail had a big impact on human social life. As far as I know,
>> > humans are the ONLY primates with hidden estrus.
>
>> Yes, and humans have not really been around long enough for us to even
>> figure out if we are "successful" or not as a species. That might have
> been
>> a signal of something gone very wrong. Take a look at the world - and
>> its
>> history.
>
> If you equate "successful" with longevity, yes. If you take the mere
> numbers
> of human population and the fact that humans live in virtually all corners
> of the globe, I would call us successful.

Nope. Humans have overpopulated the planet and in most of the world live in
miserable conditions.

If a nuclear war wipes us away
> from the face of the earth, I draw back my argument. :-)

We don't need that. We are overpopulated right now. Wait till the next 30
years.
>
>

Relevant Pages