April 23rd, 2010 by Chris Hitchcock
When I was pregnant and then learning to breast-feed my daughter, my doula told me that breast milk had great anti-biotic properties, and that it was good to use on eye-infections and cuts. Turns out that there is science behind that. Not only that, but now scientists have shown that breast milk contains substances that may kill cancerous cells. They’re calling the extracted substance HAMLET – not sure why a substance extracted from lactating women would be named after a grieving, tortured young man struggling with suicidal and homicidal thoughts, but I’ll leave more thoughts on that to those who are better at post-modern analysis.
It reminds me of the idea of harvesting stem-cells from menstrual blood. And also some questions about that. Like, is this one of the cases where it matters what produced the menstrual blood? Not all episodes of menstrual bleeding are the same. So how does stem cell quality differ among these different sources of uterine blood?
- a normal ovulatory cycle
- normal-length but anovulatory cycle
- very long or irregular cycles, which tend to be anovulatory
- withdrawal bleed when you are on the pill
- or even a post-menopausal vaginal bleed from taking sequential hormone therapy
I don’t even know if anyone is asking these questions, because there is relatively little interest or appreciation in the varieties of sources of menstrual blood and how it might change its quality.
Tags: blood, breast milk, C'elle, cancer, HAMLET, hormone therapy, life-giving fluids, Menstruation, ovulation, science, Shakespeare, stem cells, vaginal bleeding
Posted in anatomy, Menstruation, New Research | 3 Comments »
January 21st, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Because the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, regenerates each month, some researchers believe menstrual blood may be a viable source of stem cells. Stem cells have been found in the uterine lining, although it is uncertain whether healthy, viable stem cells are shed with other menstrual fluids. The research is ongoing. So Chelsea Briganti, senior at Parsons School of Design, may be ahead of her time.
Her senior thesis involves the design of a storage container to preserve menstrual fluid for later use. Her idea is to develop a design for a successful consumer product. If you’d like to help her out, click here to complete a short survey (only five questions) and contribute to her data set.
Confidential to Chelsea: Please let us know when you no longer need survey respondents.
Tags: blood, college students, endometrium, Menstruation, stem cells, uterus
Posted in anatomy, DIY, Menstruation, New Research, Reusable menstrual products | Comments Off
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