Women who are already taking the pill when they meet their partners report less sexual satisfaction in their relationships — but they’re also less likely to split up.

That’s the conclusion of a new study of more than 2000 women in two countries, which shows those who met their first child’s father while on the pill were less sexually satisfied with their men, less attracted to them and experienced greater sexual dissatisfaction compared with women who weren’t taking birth control pills.

The startling conclusion from the study’s lead researcher?  If you want to be sure you’re really attracted to the man, try non-hormonal contraception for a few months to check out whether he really does it for you…

Chemistry of Attraction

The study – reported by the BBC and Time magazine – shows women on the pill reported greater satisfaction with other aspects of their relationships, including the financial support provided by their mates, and were about 10% more likely to stay together. (If they did break up, the split was around 10% more likely to be initiated by the woman than the man.)

It’s all to do with the “subconscious chemistry of attraction”, which is disrupted by oral contraceptives, according to researchers.

Women on the pill respond similarly to women who are pregnant – and they are attracted to stable “daddy” types who would be good providers but maybe not so sexually exciting.

Better Immunity

The hormonal levels of women using the pill don’t alter much across a month, while normal ovulation cycles produce a change of sexual attraction during the fertile phase.

Without the pill’s action of putting the body into a hormonal state similar to pregnancy, women will choose a man with an immune system molecule (MHC) different from her own, probably to increase her child’s chances of having a robust diversified immunity.

However pregnant women prefer a man with an MHC similar to her own, probably because this makes them feel safe and comfortable.

Varying Attraction

That means that if you’re taking the pill, you may be more likely to find attractive men whose MHC is similar to your own — but during your regular cycle, these men might seem less your “type.”

Indeed, during their most fertile phase, women tend to be drawn to more dominant, masculine men who are more likely to be unfaithful. In contrast, during the second part of their cycle, when they could already be pregnant, they are more attracted to calmer, more nurturing types.

So, basically, meeting while on the pill might make you choose a “dad” who may not be the most exciting guy, but who will stick around and support the kids. Conversely, meeting while not taking hormonal contraceptives might make the bad-boy “cad” seem irresistible.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Image: www.topnews.in

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About the author

Jenny W