I just finished reading a book (an EXCELLENT book, actually - I highly recommend it) called _The Red Tent._ The book is about the women of the Bible, telling the story of Jacob and his children through the eyes of Leah.

Anyway, in this book, as in many books about women in traditional societies, all the women have their periods at the same time (hence the red tent - the place the women went to be without men once a month).

I have heard that women who live together have their periods at the same time, but this has never been true for me. I had many female roommates in my college days, and we did not have "synchronized periods."

Is this a myth, or is there something about modern life that makes this less likely to happen?

Actually, it can be true. I've found that me and a couple of my REALLY close friends, throughout the school year, would have it at the same time. We were together all day at school, then a lot of the time at lunch, until practice. The only times were weren't USUALLY together was at night after practice.

I read about a study some time ago that tracked the periods of female mice living together. Their periods were random until a male was introduced, then they became collective. The belief was it was something in his urine. Catty(who is glad she doesn't have the blasted things any more)

I lived in a girl's boarding school for two years- we'd only go home for Christmas and summer holidays- and most of our periods were within one week. Let's just say that was an "interesting" week...

20 years ago, I was the only male working in a branch bank with 12 women. The periods were synchronized. Each month featured three wonderful weeks....

i don't understand how this can be true. Your body is just that, your body. How can it be in tune with someone else just because they live together?
I'm not saying it's not true, just that I don't know how that could be. Coinsidence??

I think it may be true -- it's happened to me and my college roommates, too.

It's my understanding that people release all kinds of chemicals into the air, hormones, pheremones, etc. and whenever you live in close proximity with other people you pick these up without even knowng it, and they are absorbed into the body. Not only people, either, the air is full of all sorts of things that we breathe in. Correct me if I'm wrong, somebody. Catty(who tries not to breathe overmuch)

I read a report a few years ago about a study done in which the subjects, menstruating women, had the (eeew) armpit sweat of a certain participant smeared just under their noses. After a certain period of time (no pun intended, and I can't recall how long) the periods of the subjects were in synchronicity (sp?) with each other, give or take a day.

Good question Sarai all I can say is when I was married to my now ex hubby, we flew over sea's and stayed with his family for about three years during that time his three sister's and my period were all with in days apart from each other. Weird now that I think about it. Beth