No hate to op, but I felt this way for a long time until I learned about scientists leading theory for *why* humans menstruate
First off, several species of primates also menstruate, but it is not limited only to primates, beyond that it is seen in bats, and elephant shrews. Yes, those that don’t do just reabsorb the uterine lining.
Many will say its because we don’t go into heat, which is true to some extent, many animals that don’t menstruate experience heat, but thats an oversimplification.
The actual physical reason why we, and all other animals that menstruate, don’t just reabsorb the uterine lining is because in other animals the lining only thickens and solidifies *after* a fertilized egg has implanted. This process is called decidualization, and it happens every cycle in humans whether a fertilized egg is present or not. This is why it can’t be reabsorbed.
So why undergo decidualization? Why treat every single cycle as a potential pregnancy, and waste these bodily resources?
Because, this has been linked to a higher level of maternal control in the development of the fetus. There is an evolutionary advantage to catching issues and terminating a pregnancy early on rather than investing energy in growing a fetus that will not develop into a viable offspring.
This failsafe isn’t possible without early decidualization.
This might not comfort everyone, but knowing exactly *why* my body does the things it does, to a larger extent than just “its trying to make a baby :)” gave me a certain sense of peace and understanding with my biology
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