Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives: How Evolution Has Shaped Women's HealthWinner of the 2011 W.W. Howells Book Award of the American Anthropological AssociationHow has bipedalism impacted human childbirth? Do PMS and postpartum depression have specific, maybe even beneficial, functions? These are only two of the many questions that specialists in evolutionary medicine seek to answer, and that anthropologist Wenda Trevathan addresses in Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives.Exploring a range of women's health issues that may be viewed through an evolutionary lens, specifically focusing on reproduction, Trevathan delves into issues such as the medical consequences of early puberty in girls, the impact of migration, culture change, and poverty on reproductive health, and how fetal growth retardation affects health in later life. Hypothesizing that many of the health challenges faced by women today result from a mismatch between how their bodies have evolved and the contemporary environments in which modern humans live, Trevathan sheds light on the power and potential of examining the human life cycle from an evolutionary perspective, and how this could improve our understanding of women's health and our ability to confront health challenges in more creative, effective ways. |
Contents
What Does Evolution Have to Do with Womens Health? | 3 |
1 Are We Grown Up Yet? | 23 |
2 Vicious Cycles | 41 |
Why Cant Everyone Just Get Along? | 62 |
4 Staying Pregnant | 75 |
5 Welcome to the World | 90 |
6 The Greasy Helpless OneHourOld Human Newborn | 108 |
7 Women Are Defined by Their Breasts | 122 |
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Common terms and phrases
adult alleles American Journal ancestors Anthropologist argues associated babies behaviors bipedalism birth canal birth weight body brain breast cancer breastfed breastfeeding c-section cesarean section chapter child chimpanzees crying cultures decreased delivery diabetes diet diseases disorders effects energy environment estrogen evidence evolution evolutionary history evolutionary medicine evolutionary perspective example factors females fertility fetal fetus Furthermore genes gestation girls grandmothers growth health-poor health-rich nations health-rich populations higher hormones hot flashes impact increase infections labor lactation lives mammals maternal maturation McDade McKenna menarche menopause menstrual cycle milk months mood morning sickness mother and infant natural selection negative normal noted nutrients nutritional obesity occur offspring ovarian hormones ovulation oxytocin parents pelvic placenta postpartum preeclampsia pregnancy primates problems progesterone puberty rates reported reproductive success result risk sexual activity sleep social species stress suggests survival Trevathan trimester vernix Vitzthum woman women in health-rich Worthman