Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Post-Menopausal Curiosity


Have you ever heard that girls who are good friends often end up with exactly the same menstrual cycles? It just happens. I always thought that to be somewhat curious and actually incredible. And it was definitely true among my group of close friends.

Now that monthly cycles are a thing of the past (thank God!), I found a new phenomenon among post-menopausal friends. Today is the second time my good friend and I have scheduled a haircut back-to-back without ever talking about even needing one. Given that I get a haircut only every couple of months, I find this so interesting.

Why do things like this happen at all? Do friends need a way to stay in sync?

9 Comments:

Blogger Mother of Invention said...

ell, I don't happen to think the haircut thing is beyond pure co-incidence, but the same menstrual cycles is definitely physiologically based. When females live in close proximity, it is biologically an advantage for the insurance of that species to procreate successfully, if they are all sperm receptive at the same time, hence ovulation has to be insynch. So if some hunky university guy had hit our residence and "visited" all of us, no doubt there would have been a few unwanted pregnancies all due in 9 months! It is interesting and a carryover from our ancestors of long ago!

10:51 AM  
Blogger Barbara said...

MOI -- You are probably right about the haircuts, but I thought it was funny. As for the monthly cycles being the same, I had never heard your explanation. Men are not limited to a particular time of the month, so I don't really get it. I had thought it was more connected somehow to the lunar cycle, but then that doesn't explain why different groups of friends would have a different cycle. More questions than answers!

11:20 AM  
Blogger Kristin said...

I'm not sure, but my brother and I often read the same books at the same time. Even books that aren't quite new. Even when we're on different continents.

I think there's a link between some people, more than coincidence, but I don't know anything.

11:34 AM  
Blogger bulletholes said...

Do 'Sperm Receptive" mean what i think it do?
Mom, you crack me up!
I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this post is about Barb!

12:21 PM  
Blogger Pauline said...

There's some interesting info at http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/980319/mcclintock.shtml about the synchronicity thing. It was true in my family of four females growing up. My father used to joke that he was going to buy stock in Kotex. And it was definitely true in my college dorm. As for the haircut thing, I agree with MOI that it's most likely coincidence. Then again...

4:57 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Kristin -- I find the same thing happening with books all the time.

Steve -- I admit this post is a little lame, but it's really not so complicated. What don't you get?

Pauline -- Very interesting article that gives us a clue as to how this syncronicity happens.

12:02 AM  
Blogger bulletholes said...

I shoulda known better than to try to leave a comment on this...when my daughter started her period I thought we should have like a party or somethin...my wife looked at me like I was nuts!

10:38 AM  
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

I thought it was related to a chemical (like pheremones for bees)that females "give off" that males pick up and respond to...like a signal that now is the time for successful conception, which is ovulation. Not sure if males are even aware of this but one guy I used to go out with in university said he could smell it!

***Steve: I crack YOU up?!!
Well, maybe not a party, but my sisters gave their twin girls a red rose so it seemed like a hapy event and not such a Curse!

7:44 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Steve -- I think many cultures do have a celebration, so that wasn't such a crazy idea.

MOI -- Did the twin girls get their periods at the same time? I suppose if they were identical this might be the case.

9:04 PM  

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