Alex Alvergne

Directrice de Recherche CNRS | Cheffe d'équipe

My research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of women's health. I use theoretical frameworks from evolutionary biology to understand how female physiological and behavioral traits vary according to environmental, social and cultural contexts.

As a researcher in human evolutionary ecology, I propose an innovative approach to rethinking notions of "normality" and "pathology" (in the sense of Canguilhem, 1943) in the field of women's health. My research shows that many physiological variations, often medicalized as dysfunctions, may in fact be adaptive responses to specific environments.

My recent research focuses on:

The impact of vaccination and infection on menstrual cycles
Ecological and physiological determinants of contraceptive side effects
The role of cultural transmission in the evolution of reproductive norms

I'm currently working on two questions:

What are the developmental origins of endometriosis (EnDOHAD)? in collaboration with Montpellier University Hospital (Dr Noémie Ranisavljevic) and Simon Fraser University (Bernard Crespi), funded by the Endometriosis Research Foundation.
What are the social-ecological determinants of menstrual health variation in Occitanie (ANR C-HEALTH project) in collaboration with Montpellier University Hospital (Dr Noémie RANISAVLJEVIC).

For more information on my scientific articles, see my Google Scholar page.

Low haemoglobin in arduous seasons is associated with reduced chance of ovulation among women living in the Bolivian altiplano

November 5, 2024Paper

Background and objectives: Female reproductive function responds flexibly to ecological variations...

42 documents

Alexandra Alvergne. Social structure, cultural selection and the limits of adaptive plasticity: a response to Baumard and André. Evolution and Human Behavior, 2025, 46 (6), pp.106753. ⟨10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2025.106753⟩. ⟨hal-05397400⟩
Loïa Lamarque, Banrida Langstieh, Michel Raymond, Alexandra Alvergne. Female house ownership drives the positive association between matriliny and women's health in Meghalaya (India). Social Science & Medicine, 2025, 382, pp.118355. ⟨10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118355⟩. ⟨hal-05397377⟩
Mhairi A Gibson, Eshetu Gurmu, Alexandra Alvergne, Daniel Redhead, Sarah Myers. Gender-biased clustering of attitudes towards physical intimate partner violence: A social network analysis in south-central Ethiopia. PNAS Nexus, 2025, 4 (9), pgaf282. ⟨10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf282⟩. ⟨hal-05397342⟩
Emily R Boniface, Blair G Darney, Agathe van Lamsweerde, Eleonora Benhar, Alexandra Alvergne, et al.. Menstrual Cycle Length Changes Following Vaccination Against Influenza Alone or With COVID-19. JAMA Network Open, 2025, 8 (4), pp.e257871. ⟨10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.7871⟩. ⟨hal-05061964⟩
Sarah Myers, Eshetu Gurmu, Alexandra Alvergne, Daniel Redhead, Janet A Howard, et al.. Social clustering of preference for female genital mutilation/cutting (FGMC) in South-Central Ethiopia. Nature Human Behaviour, In press. ⟨hal-05061979⟩
Jacqueline A Maybin, Catherine Walker, Marianne Watters, Natalie Zm Homer, Joanna P Simpson, et al.. The potential bidirectional relationship between long COVID and menstruation. Nature Communications, In press, ⟨10.1038/s41467-025-62965-7⟩. ⟨hal-05269028⟩
M. Austin Argentieri, Najaf Amin, Alejo J Nevado-Holgado, William Sproviero, Jennifer A Collister, et al.. Integrating the environmental and genetic architectures of aging and mortality. Nature Medicine, 2025, 31 (3), pp.1016-1025. ⟨10.1038/s41591-024-03483-9⟩. ⟨hal-04301069⟩
Alexandra Alvergne, Emily Boniface, Blair Darney, Amanda Shea, Kirsten Weber, et al.. Associations Among Menstrual Cycle Length, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and Vaccination. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2024, 143 (1), pp.83-91. ⟨10.1097/AOG.0000000000005343⟩. ⟨hal-04301047⟩
Alexandra Alvergne. Why we must fight ignorance about COVID-19 vaccines and menstrual cycles. Trends in Molecular Medicine, 2023, ⟨10.1016/j.molmed.2023.06.005⟩. ⟨hal-04156989⟩
Alexandra Alvergne, Gabriella Kountourides, M. Austin Argentieri, Lisa Agyen, Natalie Rogers, et al.. A retrospective case-control study on menstrual cycle changes following COVID-19 vaccination and disease. iScience, 2023, pp.106401. ⟨10.1016/j.isci.2023.106401⟩. ⟨hal-04044939⟩

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Specialty Menstrual cycle, Behavioral ecology, Reproductive ecology

Alex Alvergne

Can long Covid and vaccination really affect women's menstrual cycles and fertility?

Long COVID disrupts menstruation and vice versa

Long Covid linked to heavier periods and risk of iron deficiency

Long covid may be making your periods longer and heavier / New Scientist 16 sept 2025

The potential bidirectional relationship between long COVID and menstruation

Social clustering of preference for female genital mutilation/cutting in south-central Ethiopia

Menstrual cycle length changes following vaccination against influenza alone or with COVID-19

Environment more crucial than genes in risk of early death, study suggests

Low haemoglobin in arduous seasons is associated with reduced chance of ovulation among women living in the Bolivian altiplano

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