Women who chose their partner while on the contraceptive pill tend to be satisfied with their stable relationship, but less so regarding sexual satisfaction, compared to those who chose their men while not on the pill, researchers reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The researchers added that the ones who were on oral contraceptives (OC) when choosing their mate had relationships that lasted on average two years longer than the other women’s.
Dr. Craig Roberts, of Stirling University, Scotland, said:
“Our results show some positive and negative consequences of using the pill when a woman meets her partner. Such women may, on average, be less satisfied with the sexual aspects of their relationship, but more so with non-sexual aspects.
Overall, women who met their partner on the pill had longer relationships – by two years on average – and were less likely to separate. So there is both good news and bad news for women who meet while on the pill. One effect seems to compensate for the other.”
At the moment of forming a partnership, 1,514 females were on no type of hormonal contraception, while 1,005 used combined oral contraceptives. Those on other forms of hormonal contraception, such as progestogen-only pill, implants and injection were excluded from the study.
Of the 2,519 remaining volunteers, 1,761 were still together with their first child’s biological father. Of the 758 who were no longer with the biological father, 734 had separated or formally divorced (both termed in this study as separated), the remaining 24 whose partners had died were excluded from the study.
The women’s average age was 37.7 years. 1,200 of them were from the USA, 999 from the Czech Republic, 159 from the UK, 98 from Canada, and 43 from other countries.
Of the 1,761 women whose relationships were ongoing, the researchers detected some considerable differences between those who had been using OC (oral contraceptives) and those who had not when they met their partner.
Those on OC when choosing their partner had a lower score on sexual arousal compared to the other women. The same was found when asked about their sexual attraction to their partner, and his sexual adventurousness.
The authors also found that those on OC when choosing their partner tended to have improved sexual satisfaction with time.
However, those who had been on the pill when selecting their partner scored better on other (nonsexual) aspects of their relationship, such as financial provision, or the partner being a good father.
The OC women scored better on nonsexual aspects of their relationship, such as the partner being a good father
The authors wrote:
“Although the results of this initial analysis are consistent with predictions generated by a body of laboratory studies (reviewed above) that suggest that OC use might alter mate preferences, it is possible that some or all of these effects could alternatively arise as a result of between-group differences that are unrelated to mate choice and any disruptive effects of OC.
For example, a lower sexual satisfaction score among the OC women might be because of differences in attitudes towards uncommitted, short-term relationships.
In a previous study, Dr. Roberts had found that women’s preference for men’s body odor changed when they were on the pill. Women on the pill were found to prefer men who were genetically similar, while those not on the pill preferred the smell of genetically different males. At the time the researchers suggested that perhaps when on the pill women would choose different men than they would normally choose.
Dr. Roberts wrote:
“Women tend to find genetically dissimilar men attractive because resulting babies will more likely be healthy. It’s part of the subconscious ‘chemistry’ of attraction between men and women.
Similarly, women’s preferences subconsciously change over time so that during non-fertile stages of the menstrual cycle they are more attracted to men who appear more caring and reliable – good dads.
The hormonal levels of women using the pill don’t alter much across a month and most closely reflect those typical of the non-fertile phases of the menstrual cycle. It seems that our preferences are shaped by these hormonal levels, so preferences of women on the pill don’t change around ovulation in the way seen in normally-cycling women.
(conclusion) Choosing a non-hormonal barrier method of contraception for a few months before getting married might be one way for a woman to check or reassure herself that she’s still attracted to her partner. “
Written by Christian Nordqvist