Inbred Kids, Bad Sex, and the Pill

Not surprisingly, this story has gotten enough press that even the local hip-hop DJs are talking about it. A new study from the UK suggests that oral contraceptives alter women’s perception of pheromones, leading them to prefer (in the Biblical sense) men with genes similar to their own. This is the opposite of the usual situation, in which women are drawn to the scent of men with different genes, especially at the loci controlling MHC expression (remember the classic sweaty-shirt experiment?). Of course, this makes sense (in a hand-waving sort of way): women prefer mates whose genes will give their children the widest arsenal of immune responses. But the catch is that pregnant women prefer the pheromones of closely-related men, possibly because we’re hard-wired to seek the protection of family in vulnerable times. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the pill, which roughly mimics pregnancy hormonally, also switches pheromone preference.

What does this mean? Has a generation of sexually liberated women consigned itself to relationships with the (genetically speaking, at least) wrong men? Do women who get married and then stop taking the pill have a higher divorce rate? Maybe. But there’s something critical being lost here: I think most women would much rather have wonky MHC radar than end up with an unplanned pregnancy. I mean, ending up attracted to, and possibly married to or in a relationship with, a man whom you can’t stand when you’re off the pill is certainly bad. But having four children before your peers are done with college is way, way worse. Get a grip, people.

As a side note, I’m interested to see which oral contraceptives the researchers decided to use. I wouldn’t be surprised if the newer low-dose or progesterone-only OCPs have less of an effect on pheromone perception.

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