Science to the rescue again!

Battle of the genes

Remember my blog about the menopause and Killer Whales where I explained that it is thought that human females have a menopause so that they can continue to care for their children and grandchildren, thus ensuring survival of their DNA?  Researchers have now gone further and found that it may be caused by a constant ‘battle’ between our male and female DNA.

In ancient times women tended to move away from their family group and live with their mate’s family, so any female children they had would relate more to those around them from their father’s side rather than their mother’s. As a result the genes they inherited from the father would, as an adult, encourage them to stop having children whilst still young, so they could lavish care on other young relatives of their father’s line, ensuring their survival and thus the survival of her father’s DNA.

However, the DNA from the mother’s side would want them to continue having children to ensure that line of genes survived as well. So it seems that this constant tug of war between male and female DNA has resulted in the menopause, and also why it takes so long to for the whole process to take place and why it can be so disruptive to our lives.

What this means for the future

Researchers are now looking at the genes involved in the menopause and this could, at some point, indicate exactly when a woman is likely to start the menopause. This would be of special benefit to those older women still wishing to have children and wondering if they still have time. At the moment the only ‘clue’ may be the age when other close female relatives started the menopause, but this is only a rough indication.

Another benefit of this study has shown how oestrogen levels and stress affect memory in the menopause. Those women with low oestrogen, when stressed, fared far worse in memory tests than those who had higher levels of oestrogen but were also stressed.  So, natural remedies that help to gently increase and balance oestrogen such as fermented soya, Black Cohosh or Red Clover may be of special benefit for those women who find they are getting memory blips. And let’s face it most of us are stressed at this time of year anyway!