This week’s readings left me questioning the biological
trade-off that oral contraceptives and industrialization have left us
with. If it more beneficial for women to
have 400+ menstrual cycles in their lifetime, thus developing a slightly
greater risk for breast cancer, or should women take an oral contraceptive to
have fewer periods in general, with no decreased risk of cancer? Chapter 9 specifies that, “the present
generation of MSOC’s contains the same synthetic estrogen and progestogens as
conventional oral contraceptives” (189) making it clear that the benefits of
hormonal birth control make menstruation less of a hassle and prevent
pregnancy. I found the comments of
surveyed women to be the most interesting, as they many recognized the
inconvenience of menstruation, but often opted for the benefits of what
supposedly accompanies remaining as natural
as possible. In order to further
research this many-sided issue, I spoke to some of my local friends. I found that the majority of them went on a
pill because they had irregular cycles and their doctors suggested they take the
pill to regulate themselves. However,
they also found severe mood swings, and weight gain as negative side
effects. While the pill can beneficially
regulate cycles, it seems to be a “one-size-fits-all” type deal as opposed to a
custom fitting, where the amount of each hormone a person needs may differ
slightly, or significantly, from patient to patient. In the future, pills may
be better suited to their users, which could decrease the risk of breast
cancer, lessen the hassle of menstrual cycles, and better fit the extensive
biological variation seen in any biological function.
The second piece of research I conducted looked more closely
at cultural views of women’s health and abortions. Upon reading 50% of women in Hong Kong liked
their periods, I knew there had to be a cultural reason behind their
reasoning. Sure enough, it is because “they
see it as a way to ‘get rid of bad blood’” (193). The article below examines how various
religions view menstruation and explains how those views originated.
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