Lecture 'Reframing the signifiance of menstruation. Evolutionary insights from an organismal-relational perspective.'

Cultural stigma and medical pathologization have long shaped scientific and social perceptions of menstruation, limiting both research and clinical attention. This presentation drafts three sources of negative perceptions and examines their influence on scientific discourse and cultural attitudes.

To counter biases and misconceptions, evolutionary accounts of menstruation are explored, which emphasize its crucial role in human physiology and reproduction. Two evolutionary approaches to adaptation are compared: one adopts a functionalist stance that assigns specific functions to traits.

While this perspective offers a naturalized and positive understanding of menstruation, it remains insufficient to capture the phenomenon’s full complexity. In response, the presentation draws on a second approach, organismal and relational, which emphasizes whole-organism adaptation within developmental and ecological contexts. This framework offers a richer understanding of menstrual health.