contraceptive pills influence women's taste in men

[openeyes]

"Taking the contraceptive pill appears to change women's taste in men."

BBC NEWS | Health | Pill changes women's taste in men

"researchers, from St Andrews and Stirling Universities, believe it may even be possible that taking the pill encourages women to have relationships with inappropriate men."

If I were a woman I'd take a serious look at non-hormonal options, or at least continue with the awareness that my preferences may have been altered.

ps: I love the pic above the article because people have frequently told me I look just like him, though I no longer have the beard/longer hair.

[Pegasus]

I’ve read that women on the pill end up choosing men who are genetically similar to their own brothers. In mate selection, you want a broad diversity of genes in order to produce a healthy child. I couldn’t find the exact article I’m looking for, but this Psychology Today article discusses this phenomenon: Psychology Today: The Smell of Love

And for those who don’t want to read the entire article, here are some highlights (I apologize in advance for having you read about mice ):

A segment of our DNA called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) codes for some of these disease-detecting structures, which function as the immune system's eyes. When a disease is recognized, the immune system's teeth—the killer T cells—are alerted, and they swarm the intruders, smothering them with destructive enzymes.

Unlike many genes, which have one or two alternative versions (like the genes that code for attached or unattached ear lobes), MHC genes have dozens of alternatives. And unlike earlobe genes, in which the version inherited from one parent dominates so that the version inherited from the other parent is not expressed, MHC genes are "co-dominant." This means that if a lab mouse inherits a version of an MHC gene for resistance to Disease A from its mother and a version lending resistance to Disease B from its father, that mouse will be able to resist both diseases.

When a female mouse is offered two suitors in mate choice trials, she inevitably chooses to mate with the one whose MHC genes least overlap with her own. It turns out that female mice evaluate males' MHC profile by sniffing their urine. The immune system creates scented proteins that are unique to every version of each MHC gene. These immune by-products are excreted from the body with other used-up chemicals, allowing a discerning female to sniff out exactly how closely related to her that other mouse is.

By choosing MHC-dissimilar mates, a female mouse makes sure that she doesn't inbreed. She also secures a survival advantage for her offspring by assuring that they will have a wider range of disease resistance than they would had she mated with her brother.

It's not that she seeks out diverse MHC genes for her young on purpose, of course. Ancestral females who preferred the smell of closely related males were simply outrun through evolutionary time by females who preferred the scent of unrelated sires.

Fooling Mother Nature
The Swiss researchers found that women taking oral contraceptives (which block conception by tricking the body into thinking it's pregnant) reported reversed preferences, liking more the smells that reminded them of home and kin. Since the Pill reverses natural preferences, a woman may feel attracted to men she wouldn't normally notice if she were not on birth control—men who have similar MHC profiles.

So a single woman should stay off the Pill while searching for a boyfriend and get on the Pill after she is in a relationship?


-Pegasus

[bellbird]

Oh man! And here I am having been with a guy for 14.5 years now and even longer on the pill! I've stopped recently so I think I can give you a pretty accurate idea of the before and after.... Nothing funny so far.
Interesting article, thanks for the mousy stuff , but seriously: sniffing or no genetic thingy, I'm sticking with my love. (He smells great btw too)
PS: I do think being on the pill for so long is probably not a brilliant idea but I am not fond of condoms full stop and the pill is easy to take.