Menstruation - The female research advantage

Menstruation - The female research advantage While funding organizations are increasingly mandating equal representation of sexes and genders in research, hormonal fluctuations are still often viewed as complicating factors. Professor Belinda Pletzer argues for a shift in perspective, suggesting that the menstrual cycle should not be seen solely as a complicating factor, but as one of many variables influencing research. Historically, the menstrual cycle has disadvantaged women from a research perspective. Since it was unclear to what extent the hormonal fluctuations along the menstrual cycle affected brain and body functions, women were perceived as too complicated to study due to potential female ‘instability’ in variables of interest. This has, among other factors, like safety concerns for potential pregnancies in women of childbearing age, led to research studies focusing exclusively on male samples. (1)