Concept in Definition ABC

Most females of the order of mammals have a period of heat, which is also known as estrus or estrous period. From a biological point of view, this stage of the physiology animal is the one that allows the ovulation of females and, therefore, their reproduction sexual.

During estrus, females are especially sexually receptive and the hormones that are activated during this stage are known as estrogens.

The estrous cycle in the mare

Estrus in the female horse It begins between 12 and 24 months, a stage that is equivalent to puberty in humans. At this stage, a series of physical and behavioral changes take place in the animal. The mare has several estrous cycles at a certain time of the year, specifically in the spring.

In addition to the estrous cycle, the mare's reproductive capacity will depend on a series of factors external, such as weather, the light, the temperature or the chances of getting food. On the other hand, age and race are also two other factors that intervene in their fertility.

The mare's estrus is the period between two ovulations and is made up of two phases, the luteal and the follicular. Both phases allow the female to be sexually receptive.

Estrus in humans

In mammals the period of heat depends on their physiology and a number of environmental factors. Most baby animals are born in summer, a time of the year with good weather and food at their fingertips, and generally by the end of summer they can fend for themselves. East scheme it is not adapted to the female of the human species, since women lack an estrous cycle. This implies that women's sexual acceptance is a cultural rather than a strictly biological issue.

A moment of inspiration

The term estrus is not only used in relation to the animal world. In this way, when a poet is in a special moment of inspiration, estrus occurs, also known as poetic estrus. It is a cultism that is hardly used in ordinary language. Placing the word in its context, one could say that "the romantic poet is moved by estrus", a sentence in which estrus is equivalent to inspiration.

From an etymological point of view, estrus comes from the Greek oistros, which means thorn. Therefore, the poet's estrus becomes an unexpected and special moment, like the sting of a bee.

Photos: Fotolia - alekseev / THP