Why do most women get their first period around age 12 when their bodies are usually not well developed enough to safely carry a baby to term?
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A completely non-human example is here:
Young mammals of *many* species such as goats, dogs, and more go into a heat cycle before they are capable of safely bearing young. They can absolutely get pregnant, and die giving birth, or give birth to young that can’t survive.
In the wild, if you survive and the baby survives, you’ve still reproduced, which gets you a score in the evolution department. The evolution department doesn’t give a damn about side effects as long as the line continues.
The way many communal species handle this issue is that they frequently have older females or pairs stop the younger animal from breeding. This is done through violent or social means, and it can involve driving away potential mates, reducing food, fighting, or calling over their younger members so their breeding calls can’t be heard. Dominant pairs will stop animals that are too young to safely breed from breeding, if they can.
In other words, smart social species ensure their young members are old enough to safely breed if they start cycling earlier.
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