Is menstruation really contagious?

Can periods be contagious? The Popular Health Network interviewed Teng Li, director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jilin Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and Pei Zhimei, deputy director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Changchun Central Hospital, to hear what the two experts in Chinese and Western medicine have to say. In fact, the currently more widely accepted explanation for this phenomenon is that pheromones are at work.

Why is "Aunt" so "following"?

Careful women will also find that whenever there is a big event, such as an important exam, work or traveling, "Aunt Flo" will come to "join in the fun." To this end, Pei Zhimei explained that when people experience emotional changes such as being too nervous or excited, the body's endocrine system will be out of balance, bringing about a series of changes. "Changes include menstruation, and changes in blood pressure, blood sugar, etc." she said.

In order to advance or delay menstruation, many women will take methods such as drinking vinegar. Pei Zhimei believes that although methods such as drinking vinegar have certain effects, it is best not to use artificial methods to change the menstrual period, because temporary effects may very likely lead to endocrine disorders, thus affecting health.

Menstrual period and hormone levels

Maybe every girl has experienced the infection of "menstruation"? It could be between roommates, colleagues, good friends, or between mother and daughter, or sisters. When the reporter searched for information online, he found that women were very interested in menstrual transmission and hoped to find the mysterious reason. There are different opinions on this matter: "Is it related to the magnetic field of yin and yang?" "It should be related to eating habits and living habits. People who are always together eat the same food and have the same mood, so of course their periods will come at the same time..."

Traditional Chinese medicine says: In fact, the transmission of "menstruation" is academically called "menstrual synchronization." "This has little to do with diet, lifestyle habits, etc." Pei Zhimei said that the occurrence of menstruation is mainly related to changes in hormone levels in the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, women's menstruation is related to the movement and magnetic field of the moon, and the cycle is 28 days. In today's life, it is not just the moon that affects menstruation. "There are many factors that lead to early or delayed menstruation, including mood, diet, work and rest, activities, etc."

Western medicine says: Teng Li believes that the so-called mutual transmission between women's menstruation is due to the fact that they live and work together and may face the same stress, emotions, etc., plus they are in close contact with each other and will be affected by each other's hormones. Over time, the menstrual periods will tend to be consistent. This is a very normal phenomenon and there is no need to worry too much.

Is it the sense of smell that is playing tricks on me?

Case 1:

In 1971, psychologist Mc

Clintock published a study in Nature, showing that women who live together tend to have closer menstrual cycles. She selected 135 dormitory students at a women's university as research subjects and divided them into roommate group, close friend group and random group. As a result, the menstrual cycles of the roommate group and the close friend group became similar, while that of the random group remained basically unchanged. She believes that pheromones are most likely the cause of this phenomenon.

Case 2:

An interesting experiment was conducted in the United States in the 1980s. For several consecutive months, the women who participated in the experiment agreed to let another woman apply her armpit secretions under her nose every other day. As a result, the menstrual cycles of the two women were quite consistent. This phenomenon indicates that the underarm secretions contain certain chemical substances called pheromones, which can make the menstrual cycles of two women consistent.

During the interview, both experts also mentioned pheromones. The reporter learned that the so-called pheromone refers to a volatile chemical substance secreted by animals. It can enable different individuals of the same species to transmit information through the sense of smell, causing behavioral or physiological changes. It is also called an external hormone. Could it be that the smell synchronizes women's menstrual periods? Teng Li believes that there is currently no scientific research in the world to prove the phenomenon of menstrual periods approaching. Although there are constant controversies, there is no scientific conclusion, and it is unknown whether it is related to pheromones. But what is certain is that the phenomenon of menstrual period convergence does exist.