For all recorded time, the human menstrual cycle has been kind of a mystery. Is your period too long? Is your period too short? Are you bleeding too much? Is there too much pain? 

It's hard to answer these questions because I'm not sure it makes sense to compare yourself to some, quote, "average woman," because the menstrual cycle is so integrally involved in so many different systems in your body. It makes more sense to look at how your cycle is changing over time, but we don't even have very much data about that. 

Can we experiment with mice? Sure. But our system is different from the system of a mouse. 

Can we look at samples of the uterine linings of different women over time? Sure. But that approach tells a story that's not the same as whatever is going on in one person's uterus over time. 

Today's guest is ushering in a new era of uterine lining exploration that will allow for a much more dynamic, human-centered examination of this amazing tissue that's critical for both a successful pregnancy and integral to women's health. She is opening up the black box of the human menstrual cycle. 

An in vitro menstrual cycle using organoids captures epithelial cell transitions during menstruation and regeneration of the human endometrium: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(26)00145-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1934590926001451%3Fshowall%3Dtrue