Menstrual synchrony: Fact or artifact?

Ziomkiewicz, Anna

doi:10.1007/s12110-006-1004-0

Cited by 27 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This finding partly replicated the results by Hoier (2003), who found number of younger siblings predicts a later menarche. There is evidence that women's menstrual cycles synchronize when they live together, and that this effect is pheromonal in nature (Stern & McClintock, 1998; but see Ziomkiewicz, 2006). more younger siblings) might trigger a delayed menarche in girls?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menarche and Father Absence in a National Probability Sample

Bogaert

2008

J. Biosoc. Sci.

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The relation between women's timing of menarche and father absence was examined in a national probability sample of Great Britain (NATSAL 2000; N>5000). Current body mass index (as a proxy for childhood weight) was examined as a potential mediator of this relationship, along with the potential moderating role that siblings (e.g. number of older brothers) had on this relationship. As in a number of previous studies, an absent father (but not an absent mother) during childhood predicted an earlier age of puberty (i.e. an early menarche). There was no evidence that weight mediated this relationship or that siblings moderated it. Both a lower body mass index and more siblings (e.g. more younger sisters and brothers) were independent predictors of a later timing of puberty. The results confirm that certain psychosocial factors (i.e. father absence; presence of siblings) may affect the timing of sexual maturation in adolescent girls.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menarche and Father Absence in a National Probability Sample

Bogaert

2008

J. Biosoc. Sci.

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“…This value was chosen completely arbitrarily for the purpose of investigating whether this would have an effect at all. Cycle synchronization is still much disputed [18], [19], [20]. Cultural norms stand for the copulation taboo during menstruation, i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Case of Moulay Ismael - Fact or Fancy?

Oberzaucher

Grammer

2014

PLoS ONE

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Textbooks on evolutionary psychology and biology cite the case of the Sharifian Emperor of Morocco, Moulay Ismael the Bloodthirsty (1672–1727) who was supposed to have sired 888 children. This example for male reproduction has been challenged and led to a still unresolved discussion. The scientific debate is shaped by assumptions about reproductive constraints which cannot be tested directly—and the figures used are sometimes arbitrary. Therefore we developed a computer simulation which tests how many copulations per day were necessary to reach the reported reproductive outcome. We based our calculations on a report dating 1704, thus computing whether it was possible to have 600 sons in a reproductive timespan of 32 years. The algorithm is based on three different models of conception and different social and biological constraints. In the first model we used a random mating pool with unrestricted access to females. In the second model we used a restricted harem pool. The results indicate that Moulay Ismael could have achieved this high reproductive success. A comparison of the three conception models highlights the necessity to consider female sexual habits when assessing fertility across the cycle. We also show that the harem size needed is far smaller than the reported numbers.

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“…This synchrony allows women to engage in allomothering, a system in which mothers engage in shared parenting duties (FAIRBANKS 1990). In this system, mothers whose infant has died or who are capable of nursing two infants could provide for an orphaned infant in addition to her genetic offspring (ZIOMKIEWICZ 2006). FRISCH (1984) suggested that this shared parenting would be an important mechanism for species survival in times when infant and maternal mortality are high.…”

Section: Evolutionary Perspectives Of Menstrual Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary investigation of synchronous pregnancies in women

Worth¹,

Fisher²

2011

Journal of Evolutionary Psychology

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Menstrual synchrony is when the menstrual cycles of friends or family members coincide, such that women conform to the same cycle. In this paper, we propose for the existence of synchronous pregnancies, which may be analogous to menstrual synchrony. Menstrual synchrony is a well studied topic, whereas synchronous pregnancies among friends or family members is an overlooked area of investigation. In this exploratory study of 81 pregnant women, we hypothesize that women's pregnancies are synchronized with those of friends or family members. We also examine whether women intentionally plan their pregnancies in accordance with these individuals. Finally, we investigate the sharing of resources among women who have simultaneous pregnancies. Our findings suggest that the pregnancies of women are more synchronized with friends than family members, and often the synchronicity is unplanned. The majority of women indicated that they intend to share resources (including parenting) with others who are pregnant at the same time, or who have recently given birth. Using an evolutionary framework, we propose that the sharing of resources is highly valuable and might represent a reason for women to, albeit inadvertently, have synchronized pregnancies. AN INVESTIGATION OF SYNCHRONOUS PREGNANCIES IN WOMENThe phenomenon that groups of women in close relationships (e.g., sisters, close friends) appear to get or be pregnant simultaneously is an unexplored and potentially unnoticed area of science, despite its implications from both health and medical perspectives. Furthermore, the topic has academic appeal, at least to those in evolutionary psychology, because synchronous pregnancy represents a potentially adaptive behavior for women. Here we investigate the relationships in which synchronous pregnancy occurs and document some of the potential evolutionary bene- *

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Menstrual synchrony: Fact or artifact?

Cited by 27 publications

References 33 publications

Menarche and Father Absence in a National Probability Sample

Menarche and Father Absence in a National Probability Sample

The Case of Moulay Ismael - Fact or Fancy?

A preliminary investigation of synchronous pregnancies in women

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