Periods are mysterious stuff. Period. Let’s be honest, how many times have we asked ourselves “why?” and “what for?” only to briefly forget about it until the next round?

And luckily, the big question was asked out loud thanks to the people on Quora: “What is the evolutionary benefit or purpose of having periods?” It turns out, it wasn’t just another cry in the internet’s wilderness. Evolutionary biologist Suzanne Sadedin stepped in to handle the matter and gave the most illuminating answers ever. Her extraordinary tale of how women get periods just proves that science has all the answers, no matter how disturbing they may be!

Image credits: Suzanne Sadedin

Biologist, who has worked at Monash and Harvard Universities, was more than happy to handle the question

More scientists have backed up the fact that there’s no medical reason why women should have a period if they don’t want to. Judith Stephenson, the Margaret Pyke professor of sexual and reproductive health at University College London, told The Guardian that it’s “in some ways, one of God’s great design faults.” “It is not helpful to have these periods—in fact, if you don’t have them, one of the biggest benefits would be reducing iron deficiency anemia,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Anne Connolly, the clinical lead for women’s health for the Royal College of GPs, claims that there’s no health benefit to them. “Ninety-nine percent of women don’t need to bleed.” It may sound shocking for some who believe in the idea that bleeding is absolutely necessary to healthy women’s bodies. The Guardian attributes such a belief to the “decades of advice that women on the combined pill should take a break for one week a month.”

This is how people reacted to the scientist’s explanation

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