# Why do women have periods?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: TED-Ed
- Year: 2015
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Biology, Medicine and health, History
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/ted_ed_why_do_women_have_periods)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

A handful of species on Earth share a seemingly mysterious trait: a menstrual cycle. We're one of the select few mammals on Earth that menstruate, and we also do it more than any other animal, even though it's a waste of nutrients, and can be a physical inconvenience. So where's the sense in this uncommon biological process? TED-Ed describes the history and evolution of menstruation. \[Directed by TED-Ed, narrated by Susan Zimmerman\].

## Lectures

1. [Why do women have periods?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/ted_ed_why_do_women_have_periods/d2019bf4401c), 5 min (TED's player)