The Fragile Wisdom: An Evolutionary View on Women’s Biology and Health

A cure has been raced for, sought after, and exhaustively researched, but as yet to no avail; the seemingly ubiquitous pink ribbon has become synonymous with steadily rising rates in breast cancer, and, more generally, the myriad health risks faced by women today. Jasienska, a professor at Jagiellonian University’s Institute of Public Health in Kraków, Poland, explores the ways in which modern changes in attitude (and medicine) with respect to the evolutionary role of women to reproduce might be contributing to rising female health problems. Jasienska demonstrates that long ago, estrogen levels were kept in check by the frequency with which women, lacking any suitable form of birth control, became pregnant; today, on the other hand, women—abetted by social and technological advances—can choose a life for themselves other than motherhood. However, this means that women are pregnant fewer times during their lifespan, therefore they cycle more frequently and thus produce more estrogen—a hormone which, at high levels, shows a high correlation with the incidence of breast cancer. Despite huge steps made in the last 100 years toward gender equality, Jasienska compellingly shows that the impact of millennia of biological evolution continues to assert itself. Extremely dense, this book will appeal primarily to academics and health professionals. (Jan.)