Climacteric in women: an evolutionary defect?
This is a theoretical paper. Climacteric in women has two basic consequences: (i) Sterility, which is interpreted here as a positive feature, because it protects the older woman from the hardships of pregnancy. (ii) Hormonal deficiency, which is interpreted here as a negative feature, because it leads to deleterious changes in various parts of the body. Can these negative features be regarded as evolutionary defects? The answer is no, if the following points are considered. Through human innovations, women's natural lifespan of less than 30 years has been extended to almost 80 years. Had the lifespan not been manipulated, most women would not reach climacteric, which normally does not begin before the fourth decade of life. When interpreting climacteric as a phenomenon precipitated by man rather then by Nature, it follows that the negative features of climacteric should not be regarded as evolutionary defects.
D000328:Adult; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002979:Climacteric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female; D008017:Life Expectancy; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology