Synchronized Cycles: Is There a Medical Explanation?

[misskitty]

This is a serious question. I'm not posting it to be vulgar or obsene. My sisters, our mother, and I are noticing that our monthly cycles are almost 100% in sync with each other. We thought this was pretty weird. Mainly because our cycles used to be at completely different times of the month. We're noticing this more and more because we all get emotional and suffer from PMS at the same time . Not to mention we kept having to go to the store for supplies.

Why does this happen? Is their some medical/biological for why this changes our cycles so they happen at the same thing?

I wish there was something we could do so we don't try to kill each other while we PMS together. Midol just ain't cuttin' it no more. Lol. :rofl:

 

[Moonbear]

It's believed to be due to pheromonal cues. Here's a somewhat recent article about a possible chemical that could be involved as a pheromone.

Morofushi M, Shinohara K, Funabashi T, Kimura F.
Positive relationship between menstrual synchrony and ability to smell 5alpha-androst-16-en-3alpha-ol.
Chem Senses. 2000 Aug;25(4):407-11.

Abstract of the article:

To explore the possibility that compounds which were identified as pheromones in experimental animals mediate human menstrual synchrony, we examined the relationship between menstrual synchrony and the ability to smell putative pheromones, 5alpha-androst-16-en-3alpha-ol (3alpha-androstenol) and 5alpha-androst-16-en-3-one (5alpha-androstenone). When we examined menstrual synchrony among 64 women living together in a college dormitory, we found that 24 (38%) of them became synchronized with room-mates in 3 months. Afterwards, dilution series of 3alpha-androstenol and 5alpha-androstenone and the control odorant (pyridine) were presented to the 64 women and sensitivity to the odors was compared between synchronized and non-synchronized women. No difference was found between the two groups of women in the detection threshold for pyridine, indicating that general olfactory ability did not differ between them. The detection threshold for 3alpha-androstenol of synchronized women was significantly lower than that of non-synchronized women, but no difference in the threshold for 5alpha-androstenone was found between synchronized and non-synchronized women. These results indicate that the women who showed menstrual synchrony had a higher sensitivity to 3alpha-androstenol but not necessarily to 5alpha-androstenone.

For the full article: http://chemse.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/4/407
I think it's free access.

 

[DocToxyn]

This phenomenon is commonly observed in laboratories that group house their females. I believe some researchers use it to increase their hit rate when trying to generate timed-pregnant animals.

 

[Moonbear]

This phenomenon is commonly observed in laboratories that group house their females. I believe some researchers use it to increase their hit rate when trying to generate timed-pregnant animals.

It's far better documented among those non-human animals than in women.

 

[cronxeh]

I wonder how this works in a harem..

 

[Moonbear]

I wonder how this works in a harem..

The men go off to war one week a month because it seems safer?

 

[brewnog]

I live with three girls, and they always manage to synchronise their periods, which would be fine except for them all suffering from monster PMT. Actually, it's not the girls who suffer from the monster PMT, it's me.

It's horrific, it's like they're scheming behind our backs to turn the house into a raging den of hormonal aggravation for a few days every month. Moonbear, you say it's likely to be pheromonal. That's smells and stuff isn't it? Do you think that by using Febreeze there'd be any chance I could neutralise the pheromones, thus breaking the synchronisity, and spreading the rage out again?

 

[misskitty]

I don't think febreezing your house would do it. You could always do what my grandfather did...same problem you have...build a garage 1/2 mile away from your house and hang out there and only go back to the house for food and a place to sleep. (you can build a restroom in the garage).

 

[Moonbear]

Sorry, febreeze won't work. It isn't scents they are leaving on the furniture, it's scents their own bodies are producing.

misskitty might be right, this is probably what drives men to think the garage is a great place to hang out all day. Get yourself a calendar and start tracking cycles. When you know it's time for the PMS to start, if it's bad enough, start making a lot of extra trips to the library for studying, or running errands all over town, or hang out at a friend's place. :rofl:

 

[misskitty]

Not a bad idea.

There was another question that deals with monthly cycles that I don't really feel needs to be in a separte thread. Can anti-depressant medications throw your cycle out of whack? Mess with the regularity so instead of having it the 2nd week of the month you'd have it the 4th week? How long does it take your body to readjust to the change? Does this happen when you come off the medication?

I'm just asking. I'm not on meds if that's what you're thinking, .

 

[Moonbear]

I don't have time for the long answer now, so the short answer will have to suffice. Yes, some antidepressants can interfere with menstrual cyclicity (and sexual desire as well).

 

[misskitty]

Ok. That works, you can expand on it later. Thanks.

 

[Astronuc]

I live with three girls, and they always manage to synchronise their periods, which would be fine except for them all suffering from monster PMT. Actually, it's not the girls who suffer from the monster PMT, it's me.

During my university years, a number of women confirmed this.

It's horrific, it's like they're scheming behind our backs to turn the house into a raging den of hormonal aggravation for a few days every month. Moonbear, you say it's likely to be pheromonal.

I definitely responded to my wife's hormonal cycle. I was most interested when she was fertile.

 

[Ouabache]

Hmmmm, so scent is involved in synchronization of menstrual cycles. And it appears this occurs across the animal kingdom. So in the course of animal evolution, the genes that allow for this, have probably been around for awhile.

Is this synchronization useful, might there be an adaptational advantage?

 

[misskitty]

Absolutly! It let's you know who to stay away from during a particular week of the month so you can keep all you body parts! As far as the the other thing you might be thinking...I have no clue and I'm not even going to touch that one. :tongue2:

 

[brewnog]

I used to have a little application which sat on my taskbar and gave me little warnings when my girlfriend was likely to have a PMT attack. It had two modes: one just used the 'average' cycle to try and predict the woman's characteristics; the other allowed you to input exact characteristics and was much more accurate! It definitely saved my skin once or twice.

I can't find the link now, but I think it was called PMS Alert.

 

[misskitty]

Are you serious? They actually have those things? I find that a bit hard to believe.

 

[Billy T]

If you don't have a good sense of humor, including even some that is far from PC (Politically Correct), stop reading now.
Some wag recently explained why it is called Pre Menstrual Syndrome, PMS, and not MCD. (name Mad Cow Disease was already taken.)

 

[brewnog]

Yeah! It was quite amusing, but also quite useful!

It was called PMS Alert, googling it finds plenty of people recommending it, but download.com has stopped serving it, and I can't find it anywhere else (read that as I can't be arsed looking).

 

[misskitty]

Thats ridiculous. lol :rolf:

 

[Chronos]

Good grief, its a blessing when they all cycle at the same time. At least you know when to duck. It also prompts the males when to be at their reproductive best. Forcing them to compete at the same time is a natural selection thing. It also frees them to go gather/hunt for 3 weeks to sustain the population. We are herd animals and survive best when free to specialize and perfect key survival skills. If fertile chicks were all around us all the time, we would never leave the house. We would die happy, but die nonetheless. Not a lot of survival value in that.

 

[misskitty]

Funny how you all come up with excuses to runaway...Kind of like that skit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the killer bunny...runaway. Runaway, RUNAWAY!

 

[stoned]

Do men also have some kind of PMS's ?

 

[misskitty]

I'm not sure about that. However I have some male friends who claim they PMS. They have these times, not sure if its monthly or what not, but they get emotional and testy too. As mean as this sounds, its not meant to be, but I think its kinda funny when my boyfriend get all pissy when he can't get all the thing he need to do done and he gets kinda emotional about it.

 

[brewnog]

I only get PMT when I'm around my girlfriend, and she's PMTing. She passes it on to me. She starts to get stroppy, so I start to get stroppy!

 

[Math Is Hard]

OK, at the risk of sounding completely stupid - what is this PMT you keep mentioning?

 

[kalladin]

Men get menopause :) Well, the "symptoms" of it :P And it's not the commonly referred mid-life crisis either.

 

[Moonbear]

OK, at the risk of sounding completely stupid - what is this PMT you keep mentioning?

It seems to be synonymous with PMS, but I haven't figured out either what the T stands for. Hey you Brits, clue us in on your strange language.

 

[stoned]

When men have PMS they get guns and go on a shooting spree, most likely at the post office.

 

[brewnog]

Pre-menstrual tension.

 

[misskitty]

I was going to ask you what that stood for. Stupid questions for 100: is that something all men get of just a few? It seems like my boyfriend (who is 1200 miles away) still seems to get something like that when I have PMS.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Your boyfriend may have "in your face" response, many males do. If someone comes on to them aggressively, they respond aggressively. So your PMS could result in a situation where he snaps back at you.

 

[misskitty]

Oh. So what about the other male PMS symptoms? That's not caused by me because he's reaction to my other PMS moods and such, right?