When Gender Stigmas Limit Scientific Progress: Unlocking the Potential of Menstrual Blood-Derived Stem Cells
Across the globe, there is an urgent demand for safe, cost-effective treatments to address the growing prevalence of health conditions. An established treatment method for these increasingly prevalent diseases is the use of stem cells. Stem cells offer a lot of promise to individuals needing tissue regeneration and repair (Biehl, 2009). Stem cells are self-renewable and can differentiate into many different cells, depending on their classification (Biehl, 2009). Pluripotent cells can differentiate into all cell types in the body, except for extra-embryonic tissues (Zakrzewski, 2019). Multipotent stem cells have a much more restricted differentiation ability in comparison to pluripotent cells (Zakrzewski, 2019). Oligopotent and unipotent stem cells are the last two classifications and have a much more narrow differentiation ability than multipotent and pluripotent (Zakrzewski, 2019).
Unfortunately, the extraction of these stem cells for their usefulness is quite invasive, painful, and expensive. Additionally, a great source of pluripotent stem cells comes from embryos in the blastocyst phase. But, as you can imagine, many individuals have issues with the destruction and usage of a ball of rapidly dividing cells inside a female (highly controversial). Fortunately, scientists have discovered an unexpected multipotent adult stem cell reservoir in menstrual blood, extracted from the endometrium (menstrual blood-derived stem cells/MenSCs).
The extraction of these menstrual cells would be relatively pain-free, easy to extract, avoid ethical issues, and is an abundant source as it occurs naturally in women on a monthly basis. Furthermore, researchers have found that these multipotent stem cells can revert back to pluripotency via doxycycline-inducible lentiviral transduction (Li, 2012). These stem cells could be collected monthly, giving the public greater access to a life-saving procedure and would significantly speed up stem cell research (Manley, 2018). This is the most convenient way to obtain stem cells to date.
The use of MenSCs has been implemented in animal research and has shown the successful neural regeneration and repairment of several types of damaged animal cells (Manica, 2022). These studies show that MenSC’s can differentiate into cardiomyocytes, respiratory epithelial, neurocytic, myocytic, endothelial, pancreatic, hepatic, adipocytic, and osteogenic cells (Borlongan, 2010). This is the beginning of the much-needed silencing of time-old misconceptions and stigmas that menstrual blood is “bad” and something that needs to be discarded.
There are a few concerns regarding this newly found research, including the increasing commercialization of healthcare, commodification of human bodies, and the exploitation of women in healthcare (Fannin, 2013). It is also no surprise that menstrual blood is undervalued and stigmatized. A study done on spreading information about MenSC’s on social media revealed that men engaged negatively with the content, whereas women and scientists responded with positivity (Fannin, 2013). Most negative comments left by men were about the sterility of using menstrual blood (blood transfusions have been safe since 1914) shining a light on the stigma surrounding periods (Fannin, 2013).
It might be helpful for those who are scared of the sterilization process to be aware of the steps. The blood would be collected via sterile containers that contain antibiotics and then kept cold (Allickson, 2011). After 24 hours the blood would be processed with a cocktail of antibiotics including vancomycin, cefotaxime sodium, amikacin, gentamyiin, and amphotericin b. This is then followed by a series of cryopreservations and freezes (Allickson, 2011). Afterward, it is tested for a series of diseases, this is how serious the sterilization process is (Allickson, 2011).
Despite the lengths scientists are going to, different places in the world avoid talking about the source of these stem cells due to disgust and shame. In some cases these stem cells have been given alternative names, diminishing their association with women and erasing the contributors who are solely female (Manica, 2018). Some researchers in these labs have elicited disgust when working with menstrual blood, resulting in most researchers being women (Manica, 2018). Additionally, the label “women’s cells” are perceived as being only of use to females. This gendered framing plays a part in their lack of universal recognition (Manica, 2018). Many MenSC researchers face sexist jokes, mockery, and are often times dismissed. This has forced MenSC researchers to prove themselves, providing exceptional results to gain recognition, a pressure that is not put on other stem cell research (Manica, 2018). In reality, scientists have found something that can treat thousands of diseases and health problems yet institutional sexism prevents its rightful integration.
Unfortunately, the extraction of these stem cells for their usefulness is quite invasive, painful, and expensive. Additionally, a great source of pluripotent stem cells comes from embryos in the blastocyst phase. But, as you can imagine, many individuals have issues with the destruction and usage of a ball of rapidly dividing cells inside a female (highly controversial). Fortunately, scientists have discovered an unexpected multipotent adult stem cell reservoir in menstrual blood, extracted from the endometrium (menstrual blood-derived stem cells/MenSCs).
The extraction of these menstrual cells would be relatively pain-free, easy to extract, avoid ethical issues, and is an abundant source as it occurs naturally in women on a monthly basis. Furthermore, researchers have found that these multipotent stem cells can revert back to pluripotency via doxycycline-inducible lentiviral transduction (Li, 2012). These stem cells could be collected monthly, giving the public greater access to a life-saving procedure and would significantly speed up stem cell research (Manley, 2018). This is the most convenient way to obtain stem cells to date.
The use of MenSCs has been implemented in animal research and has shown the successful neural regeneration and repairment of several types of damaged animal cells (Manica, 2022). These studies show that MenSC’s can differentiate into cardiomyocytes, respiratory epithelial, neurocytic, myocytic, endothelial, pancreatic, hepatic, adipocytic, and osteogenic cells (Borlongan, 2010). This is the beginning of the much-needed silencing of time-old misconceptions and stigmas that menstrual blood is “bad” and something that needs to be discarded.
There are a few concerns regarding this newly found research, including the increasing commercialization of healthcare, commodification of human bodies, and the exploitation of women in healthcare (Fannin, 2013). It is also no surprise that menstrual blood is undervalued and stigmatized. A study done on spreading information about MenSC’s on social media revealed that men engaged negatively with the content, whereas women and scientists responded with positivity (Fannin, 2013). Most negative comments left by men were about the sterility of using menstrual blood (blood transfusions have been safe since 1914) shining a light on the stigma surrounding periods (Fannin, 2013).
It might be helpful for those who are scared of the sterilization process to be aware of the steps. The blood would be collected via sterile containers that contain antibiotics and then kept cold (Allickson, 2011). After 24 hours the blood would be processed with a cocktail of antibiotics including vancomycin, cefotaxime sodium, amikacin, gentamyiin, and amphotericin b. This is then followed by a series of cryopreservations and freezes (Allickson, 2011). Afterward, it is tested for a series of diseases, this is how serious the sterilization process is (Allickson, 2011).
Despite the lengths scientists are going to, different places in the world avoid talking about the source of these stem cells due to disgust and shame. In some cases these stem cells have been given alternative names, diminishing their association with women and erasing the contributors who are solely female (Manica, 2018). Some researchers in these labs have elicited disgust when working with menstrual blood, resulting in most researchers being women (Manica, 2018). Additionally, the label “women’s cells” are perceived as being only of use to females. This gendered framing plays a part in their lack of universal recognition (Manica, 2018). Many MenSC researchers face sexist jokes, mockery, and are often times dismissed. This has forced MenSC researchers to prove themselves, providing exceptional results to gain recognition, a pressure that is not put on other stem cell research (Manica, 2018). In reality, scientists have found something that can treat thousands of diseases and health problems yet institutional sexism prevents its rightful integration.
Literature Cited
Allickson, J. G., Sanchez, A., Yefimenko, N., Borlongan, C. V., & Sanberg, P. R. (2011). Recent
studies assessing the proliferative capability of a novel adult stem cell identified in menstrual blood.
The open stem cell journal, 3(2011), 4.
Biehl, J. K., & Russell, B. (2009). Introduction to stem cell therapy. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 24(2), 98-103.
Borlongan, C. V., Kaneko, Y., Maki, M., Yu, S. J., Ali, M., Allickson, J. G., ... & Sanberg, P. R. (2010). Menstrual blood cells display stem cell–like phenotypic markers and exert neuroprotection following transplantation in experimental stroke. Stem cells and development, 19(4), 439-452.
Fannin, M. (2013). The hoarding economy of Endometrial Stem Cell Storage. Body & Society, 19(4), 32–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034x13479147
Lin, J., Xiang, D., Zhang, J., Allickson, J., & Xiang, C. (2011a). Plasticity of human menstrual blood stem cells derived from the endometrium. Journal of Zhejiang University SCIENCE B, 12(5), 372–380. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.b1100015
Li, Y., Li, X., Zhao, H., Feng, R., Zhang, X., Tai, D., ... & Tan, J. (2013). Efficient induction of pluripotent stem cells from menstrual blood. Stem cells and development, 22(7), 1147-1158.
Manica, D. T., Asensi, K. D., Mazzarelli, G., Tura, B., Barata, G., & Goldenberg, R. C. (2022a). Gender bias and menstrual blood in stem cell research: A review of pubmed articles (2008–2020). Frontiers in Genetics, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.957164
Manica, D. T., Goldenberg, R. C. D. S., and Asensi, K. D. (2018). CeSaM: As células do sangue menstrual: Gênero, tecnociência e terapia celular. irei. 20, 93–113. doi:10.12957/irei.2018.35862
Manley, H. L. (2018). The potential for menstrually-derived stem cell banking in the UK. Journal of Undergraduate Research at NTU, 1(1), 1-18.
Zakrzewski, W., Dobrzyński, M., Szymonowicz, M., & Rybak, Z. (2019). Stem cells: past, present, and future. Stem cell research & therapy, 10(1), 1-22.
(That one SouthPark episode is rolling in its grave right now) I enjoyed how you listed how this procedure actually is done in order to illustrate how the stigma of this research has painted a bad light over it.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is great, it sheds light on the immense potential of menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) in regenerative medicine while also exposing the biases that hinder progress. The stigma surrounding menstruation and its association with "waste" reflects a larger societal issue that undervalues women’s contributions and bodies. Overcoming these biases requires not only scientific advocacy but also cultural shifts that challenge outdated gender norms and promote inclusive narratives in science and healthcare.
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