The concept of menstruation is often associated primarily with human females. However, the answer to whether female animals and birds go through a similar biological process is intriguing and varied across different species.
In most mammals, menstruation involves the shedding of the uterine lining when pregnancy does not occur. Primates, including humans, are examples of mammals that experience a menstrual cycle. However, not all female mammals undergo menstruation. For instance, dogs and cats have an estrous cycle, commonly known as being in heat, where they do not menstruate but instead reabsorb the endometrial lining if they don’t become pregnant.
As for birds, they do not experience menstruation at all. Female birds have a reproductive cycle that includes laying eggs. When a bird ovulates, the eggs are released and eventually laid, but there is no shedding of uterine lining like in mammals.
In summary, while some female mammals do experience menstruation, many others do not, and birds completely bypass this process. Understanding these differences highlights the diversity of reproductive systems across the animal kingdom.