
Study: The Pill Causes Women to Like Different Men - DanielBMarkham
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4516566.ece
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pchristensen
This is a great science article, thanks DanielBMarkham!

"Several previous studies have suggested that women tend to prefer the smell
of men who are different from them in a cluster of genes ... which governs the
immune system"

"when the women started taking the Pill their preferences shifted towards the
scent of men with more similar genes to their own."

"The research also found differences between women in relationships, who
tended to prefer odours of men with different MHC genes, and single women, who
tended to prefer the smell of MHC-similar men. This could potentially indicate
that if women are tempted to have an affair, they are more likely to choose a
man with very different genes, to maximise the diversity of any offspring that
they might have."

"Women on the Pill tend to prefer macho types with strong jaw lines and
prominent cheekbones. However, women who are not taking that form of
contraception seem to be more likely to go for more sensitive types of men
without traditionally masculine features."

If these findings are all true, how many things that have happened over the
last 30-40 years would it explain? Sicklier children, cultural attitudes
towards men, rising divorce rates, etc. Wow.

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stcredzero
We really need a male oral contraceptive. The pill would be far less likely to
ruin relationships. Most men's desires are so, well, "broad spectrum" it's
hard to imagine a change in our tastes that would eliminate our desire for our
present partner.

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gaius
Never happen.

1) No woman would believe you if you said you were on it (remember we are
talking about initial stages of attraction here) 2) Society has ingrained
prejudices against men dosing themselves with synthetic hormones in support of
lifestyle choices

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stcredzero
My girlfriend would be delighted if there were a male contraceptive pill. She
is barely over 100 pounds and is very sensitive to medication across the
board. (Just one cup of coffee in the afternoon is enough to give her
insomnia.)

We went through 4 different contraceptive pills, each switch taking over a
month. They had obnoxious side effects: made her feel irritable, cut her sex
drive down to nothing, made her feel not attracted to me, and made her feel
like she "wasn't herself." It was horrible and it did test our relationship.
The pill is not really an option for her, and I wish I had an option other
than a vasecctomy.

(We currently use condom & foam, which ruins a lot of the spontaneity, and
which isn't quite effective enough for her tastes.)

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jcromartie
> made her feel irritable, cut her sex drive down to nothing, made her feel
> not attracted to me

I went through this for a year, and apparently a lot of our married friends
have too. I think that this particular side-effect of the pill is more common
than drug companies would like to admit. Worse, I think it's been attributed
to female nature instead of recognized as a side effect of this far-too-common
drug.

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j2d2
_made her feel irritable_ is an understatement for many women.

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Chocobean
Sir, may I suggest you better explain your comment a little bit better? It'd
be a shame to come across like a sexist soundbite.

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j2d2
I know two women that didn't want to take the pill because _they_ said it made
them psycho. Don't shoot the messenger!

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juanpablo
Who made the study? Where and when? On how many women? Why so many people
believe anything the press says without questioning it?

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Prrometheus
Science and health reporting in particular is notoriously bad.

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YuriNiyazov
Now, should I forward this article to my gf or not?

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fiaz
An interesting article describing attraction and smell in humans:

[http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19960...](http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19960301-000030&print=1)

It's interesting that the pill, which intentionally tampers with a woman's
reproductive system, also tampers with what a woman finds attractive in a
potential mate, sans the intention of mating for reproduction.

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ensignavenger
So, all I have to do to get that girl that isn't interested in me to change
her mind is convince her to take the Pill?

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eipiman
Beer causes me to like different women.

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iamdave
This capitalization of "Pill" is intriguing.

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ionfish
Capitalisation is conventional in English for proper nouns, which the Pill (an
abbreviated form of the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill) certainly is.

~~~
iamdave
Ah! Thank you

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nazgulnarsil
it's too bad sterilization is so stigmatized.

