Information I'd love to know

Amaroq wrote:I might be wandering into areas that might be uncomfortable for some but I hope it won't be too bad. I always had some question about prolong and reproduction. Specifically, how it affects female reproductive biology. Being a woman myself I wondered how prolong deals with the subjects of menstruation, fertility, menopause, etc...

It mainly came into focus with Honor's unexpected pregnancy and how she couldn't have known that her implant expired. I understand about not thinking to check medical records and paperwork but if the implant altered certain aspects of female reproductive biology than the reversion back to a "normal" state after it expired would probably have been recognizable (after all, a period is not exactly something you don't notice having). Considering that women don't continually produce eggs the way men produce sperm it would be interesting to figure out how prolong extends (or doesn't as the case may be) a woman's fertile years into the 100s (as evidenced by Allison's successful pregnancy).

I hope I haven't squicked too many people out.

drothgery wrote:

KNick wrote:Every once in a while (about 1 post in twenty), he gets something close enough to right that one of the truly knowledgeable people such as SWM or Relax or drothgery...

Heh.
I have Skimper ignored; if I respond to anything he says, it's in a quote.

roseandheather wrote:
"Grayson Navy Letters Home" mentions 'menstrual control nanites', which presumably do exactly what they say they do and sound like a gift from angels above.

I haven't really considered the issue too thoroughly, but presumably a tremendous increase in a woman's ability to control her fertility has rendered 'accidents' of the type Honor dealt with nearly unheard-of - after all, she had to die to have that sort of slip-up happen to her. I would also assume, therefore, that a woman can control when she ovulates, and can I move to the Honorverse now?

Amaroq wrote:

roseandheather wrote:
"Grayson Navy Letters Home" mentions 'menstrual control nanites', which presumably do exactly what they say they do and sound like a gift from angels above.

I haven't really considered the issue too thoroughly, but presumably a tremendous increase in a woman's ability to control her fertility has rendered 'accidents' of the type Honor dealt with nearly unheard-of - after all, she had to die to have that sort of slip-up happen to her. I would also assume, therefore, that a woman can control when she ovulates, and can I move to the Honorverse now?

I read "Grayson Navy Letters Home" but only once and so I didn't recall the mention of menstrual control nanites. You're right. I wonder if they help control ovulation because that's the only way to potentially extend a woman's fertility to match the increased lifespan she will have with prolong.

I'm with you Rose. Not having to deal with any of that feminine stuff that pesky biology dumps on you would be great. Like, really, really great.

SWM wrote:I am far from an expert on this, but I have heard that the limitation on a woman's fertility is not because they run out of eggs. From what I understand, most women have enough eggs to be fertile for a hundred years or more, if their bodies let them.

runsforcelery wrote:


... I only ask because you seem to fantasize your own solutions to problems --- frequently problems you invent as you go along --- which makes me wonder why I bothered to write the story in the first place.

In case you haven't figured it out, I write the books and I pretty much totally disagree with everything you've just said. In fact, there's so much wrong in this post that there is absolutely no point in trying to explain what it all is.

I'm tired enough at the moment to be cranky, but still . . .

Amaroq wrote:SNIP

It's a good thing they have those nanites. Can you imagine a universe in which women have their period for 200+ years?! Oh God.

KNick wrote:In one of the books, I recall a comment that Alison was pregnant with Honor for over a T-year. Something about second generation prolong slowing the fetal growth was mentioned. It then went on to mention that third gen prolong did not have the same drawback, so Honor's pregnancy would be normal length.

"It's so much 'work' she insisted on carrying them to term the natural way, despite the fact that her prolong added two and a half months to the process."

"And I'm third—generation prolong, not first or second-generation, so we're looking at a regular nine-month pregnancy."

My "biological clock" won't run down for another century or more yet!