Taboo No More: Menstruation And Stem Cell Sources?

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Throughout history, a woman's monthly cycle, more often known as menstruation, was considered to be a taboo subject. Menstruating women were often shuffled off into separate huts, teepees, or shelters during "that time of the month", because of issues and sources that initiated topics of shame and "unclean" beliefs.
However, a woman's monthly "curse" actually has the potential to be a source of life-sustaining stem cells, says Dr. Stephen Noga, director of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital. "All the years I've been working in stem cell therapy, nobody ever thought of looking there."

The basis of these studies determined that the endometrium, which is the inside lining of the uterus, is able to regenerate new tissues on a monthly basis, leading experts to believe that it may contain the presence of stem cells. Scientists have found endometrial stem cells are indeed created at the time the uterine lining regenerates.

The chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at Yale, Dr. Hugh Taylor, believes that a woman could have such cells removed from the uterine lining through a routine that is typically performed for fertility examinations.

Because of the vast discoveries that have been made within the past year in non-embryonic stem cell research, there is no doubt that the endometrium as a source of stem cells will be under serious consideration in the near future. As such, after thousands of years, perhaps the subject of menstruation will not be taboo any longer.

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