Hormones R’ Us
Impact of the Pill
It is almost impossible to overestimate
the impact of the contraceptive pill on human
arrangements. (35)… The pill has had a
remarkable, defining, and underestimated impact
on the communities in which it was introduced in
the 1960s. It was not just another drug to correct a
temporary physical illness;
Cont.
instead it was a powerful
preparation given to healthy people on a
daily basis. It did not repair a disability but
promoted robust social life. It has affected
sex between men and women, the core
relationship that has guided human evolution
and continues to preoccupy people more
than half their lives. (37)
Bureaugamy
I explore…how a new kinship system called
bureaugamy has been emerging, featuring a
mother, a baby, and a government official;
and how and why the human species may be
returning to the basic mammalian system
revolving around mothers and children, with
ever more peripheral confused males
puzzled about their loneliness. (27)
Tiger’s Questions:




How does chemical contraception affect social behavior, not
only of females but of males?
Would males be as eager to copulate with females made
chemically pregnant by contraception as with those who might
produce offspring?
Was chemical pregnancy a turnoff?
Would Mother Nature show a preference for traditional
connections over those that were recreational in effect? (37)
Monkeys and Contraception
The T-Shirt Tests
3 Flavors of Love
Helen Fisher, a researcher at Rutgers University, …
suggests [love] comes in three flavours: lust,
romantic love and long-term attachment. There is
some overlap but, in essence, these are separate
phenomena, with their own emotional and
motivational systems, and accompanying
chemicals. These systems have evolved to enable,
respectively, mating, pair-bonding and parenting.
Lust is an Opiate
Lust, of course, involves a craving for sex. Jim Pfaus, a
psychologist at Concordia University, in Montreal, says the
aftermath of lustful sex is similar to the state induced by taking
opiates. A heady mix of chemical changes occurs, including
increases in the levels of serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin and
endogenous opioids (the body's natural equivalent of heroin).
“This may serve many functions, to relax the body, induce
pleasure and satiety, and perhaps induce bonding to the very
features that one has just experienced all this with”, says Dr
Pfaus.
Romantic Love is an Obsession
[Romantic love] is a refinement of mere lust that allows
people to home in on a particular mate. This state is
characterised by feelings of exhilaration, and intrusive,
obsessive thoughts about the object of one's affection. Some
researchers suggest this mental state might share
neurochemical characteristics with the manic phase of manic
depression. Dr Fisher's work, however, suggests that the
actual behavioural patterns of those in love—such as
attempting to evoke reciprocal responses in one's loved one—
resemble obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Real Love Lasts!
Wonderful though it is, romantic love is
unstable—not a good basis for child-rearing.
But the final stage of love, long-term
attachment, allows parents to co-operate in
raising children. This state, says Dr Fisher, is
characterised by feelings of calm, security,
social comfort and emotional union.
New Scientist Print Edition, 08 May 2004
Love, the great gender bender
MEN are from Mars and women from Venus except when they are in love. During this intense period,
men and women become more like each other than at any other
time The first finding was that both men and women in love have
considerably higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, indicating
that courtship can be somewhat stressful. "But the most intriguing
finding is related to testosterone," says Marazziti.
Men who were in love had lower levels of the male sex hormone
testosterone - linked to aggression and sex drive - than the other
men. Love-struck women, in contrast, had higher levels of
testosterone than their counterparts…
16 Dec 1998
The magic of
sexual attraction
They say female chemical messengers known as
pheromones may help dupe men into thinking
plain women are more attractive and beautiful
women are less attractive than they actually are.
Pheromones - the colourless, odourless chemical
signals given off by the body - are thought to affect
behaviour in both animals and humans at a subconscious level.
Royal Society: Biology Letters, 2004 online
Female facial attractiveness increases during the
fertile phase of the menstrual cycle
Our results indicate that the
perceived attractiveness of
womens’ faces varies across the
menstrual cycle and is higher in
the periovulatory than in the
luteal phase.
04 May 2004
Hourglass figure fertility link
Men have long held up women such as
Jayne Mansfield as icons of female
attractiveness.
But researchers now say this isn't just a
superficial judgement - women with hourglass
figures are more likely to become pregnant.
Writing in a Royal Society journal, they say
this is because women with large breasts and
narrow waists have higher hormone levels.
10 July 2004
Pollution 'changes sex of fish'
A third of male fish in British rivers are in the
process of changing sex due to pollution in human
sewage, research by the Environment Agency
suggests.
A survey of 1,500 fish at 50 river sites found more
than a third of males displayed female characteristics.
Hormones in the sewage, including those produced
by the female contraceptive pill, are thought to be the
main cause.
The agency says the problem could damage fish
populations by reducing their ability to reproduce.
NewScientist.com
03 July 2002
"Gender benders" cause sperm burn out
Researchers told the European Society for Human
Reproduction and Embryology conference in Vienna
that chemicals that mimic the effects of the female sex
hormone oestrogen can prime sperm into becoming
prematurely active, burning out before they have a
chance to meet an egg.
"It's certainly very exciting work," says Chris Barratt at
the University of Birmingham. "Sperm and the
fertilisation process may be much more sensitive to
artificial oestrogens than we thought."
NewScientist.com 03 May 2005
Oral contraception linked
to prostate deformities
Oestrogen-like chemicals commonly found in oral
contraceptives and plastic packaging could deform the
prostate gland of human embryos, suggests a new study in
mice. Deformities to the prostate gland have been linked to
prostate cancer and bladder disease in later life.
The finding is significant because up to 3% of women taking oral
contraceptive drugs become pregnant without their knowledge, and
continue exposing the fetus to the contraceptive drug many months
into pregnancy.
3%
www.newswithviews.com 27 Sept 2004
Male contraceptive shows risk
In May 2004, a new study coming out
of Berlin had some disturbing
conclusions. A German research
facility revealed that most condoms
contain a potent carcinogen, NNitrosamine. After testing 32 types of
condoms, they found that 29
contained the cancer causing chemical
at very highly elevated levels. This
finding shows this elevated level is up
to three times compared with what
could be found in food.
20 June 2005
Synthetic Testosterone Seemed Like a Good
Idea. Then Came Fertility Issues.
BROWSE the Internet for information about anabolic steroids,
and you will discover a story of turbocharged manhood: huge
muscles, adoring women, powerful erections and youthful
energy. Some of that story is true. But for men also hoping to
father children, there may be some vital information missing.
Using testosterone supplements can most likely cause a man's
sperm count to plummet, often to zero. Getting it back can be
costly and take years.
Among heavy steroid users, it may never return.
24 June 1999
Women's choice of men
goes in cycles
Women are attracted to more
masculine-looking men at the most
fertile time of their menstrual cycle,
psychologists have shown.
During the less fertile times,
they choose men with more
feminine-looking faces. These are
seen as kinder and more cooperative, but less strong and
healthy genetically.
16 Dec 1998
Contraception causes bad mate selection
Professor Grammer… said the oral contraceptive pill could
stop a woman producing pheromones and undermine her
ability to pick up the right chemical signals from men.
Scientists believe pheromones may help people choose
biologically compatible mates.
Professor Grammer said the pheromone confusion
caused by the pill could cause a woman to choose a mate with
whom she could not produce a child.
"She picks out the genetically wrong mates. It's highly
possible that she will not be able to produce offspring with her
mate," he said.
27may05
Contraceptive may kill libido




When women on the Pill were tested, levels of a chemical
which wipes out testosterone were found to be seven times
higher than in those who had never taken it.
Most worryingly, even those who were not on the Pill, but
had taken it in the past, had levels up to four times higher
than those who had never used it.
Past studies had suggested taking the Pill could dampen a
woman's sexual desire, but that if she came off it, her libido
would return within a month.
Dr Goldstein, former director of the Institute for Sexual
Medicine at Boston University, Massachusetts, said that while
his research seemed to suggest the effects could be
permanent, more investigations were needed.
Sexual Chemistry
FOR YEARS, PROZAC AND THE PILL HAVE
GIVEN WOMEN EMOTIONAL STABILITY
AND SEXUAL FREEDOM. BUT NEW
RESEARCH SUGGESTS THESE DRUGS
CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT EVERYTHING
FROM OUR SEX DRIVE TO OUR CHOICE
OF A MATE. RACHAEL COMBE
INVESTIGATES
THE NEW SHOTGUN
WEDDING
IN THIS COMMITMENT-PHOBIC AGE,
MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE GETTING
PREGNANT TO GET THEIR BOYFRIENDS
TO THE ALTAR. ZOEY NELSON
WONDERS WHETHER A LOVE CHILD
COULD REALLY MAKE HER AND THE
BABY'S FATHER FALL IN LOVE
11/03/2003
Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk




There is evidence of an increased risk of breast
cancer for women under age 35 who are recent
users of OCs.
Studies have consistently shown that using OCs
reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.
There is evidence that long-term use of OCs may
increase the risk of cancer of the cervix.
There is some evidence that OCs may increase the
risk of certain cancerous liver tumors.
IARC MONOGRAPHS PROGRAMME FINDS
COMBINED ESTROGEN-PROGESTOGEN CONTRACEPTIVES AND
MENOPAUSAL THERAPY ARE CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS
International Agency for Research
on Cancer
PRESS RELEASE
N° 167
WHO 29 July 2005
Newswithviews.com 27 Sept 2004
"SEXY" CONTRACEPTIVE PATCH
FATALITY RATE REVEALED
17 women between the ages of 17
and 30 have died since release of
the "sexy" patch in 2002. These
documents also revealed that 21
additional life threatening
conditions have been found
including: heart attacks, blood
clots and strokes.
Family and Marriage
The basic unit of society is the family and the cornerstone
of the family is marriage, the union of one man and one
woman. Deeply rooted in all societies, marriage is a
fundamental social institution that has been tested and
reaffirmed over thousands of years. The family yields
significant “social capital” and other benefits to society, and
children in an intact home have the most promising life
prospects. And parents have the right and responsibility to
oversee the education and upbringing of their child.
Probability that the first marriage breaks up within 10 years
by race/ethnicity and age at the beginning of marriage, US
1995
60
50
Under age 18
Age 18-19
Age 20-24
Age 25-over
40
30
20
10
B
la
ck
hi
te
W
c
H
is
pa
ni
A
ll
R
ac
es
0
Decreased Risk of Divorce in first 10 years
Factors
Percent
Decrease
in Risk of
Divorce
Annual income over $50,000 (vs. under $25,000)
-30
Having a baby seven months or more after marriage
(vs. before marriage)
-24
Marrying over 25 years of age (vs. under 18)
-24
Own family of origin intact (vs. divorced parents)
-14
Religious affiliation (vs. none)
-14
Some college (vs. high-school dropout)
-13
Children in Poverty, 2000
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
First Marriage
Second (+)
Marriage
Divorced
Cohabitation
Separated
Never Married
Yearly Income, 2000
Families w/children under 18
ia
ge
ar
r
ar
r
ia
ge
tio
n
M
1s
tM
C
oh
ib
ita
iv
or
ce
d
D
ed
Se
pa
ra
t
ed
W
id
ow
2n
d
N
ev
e
rM
ar
r
ie
d
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
Impact of Divorce on Income of
Families with Children
1993 Average
Annual Income
$50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,00
Before Divorce
After Divorce
Family Status
Source: Corcoran and Chaudray, Unpublished Research Paper, Survey Research
Center, University of Michigan, May 1994
Delay of Sexual Initiation Reduces Number
of Voluntary Lifetime Sexual Partners
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
13- 14 15- 16 17- 18 19- 20 21- 22 23- 25
26+
Summary: Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges
Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes






Are less likely to experience teen pregnancy;
Are less likely to be sexually active while in high school and as
young adults;
Are less likely to give birth as teens or young adults;
Are less likely to give birth out of wedlock;
Are less likely to engage in risky unprotected sex; and
Will have fewer sexual partners.
Average Number of Different Sexual Partners
During Life
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Strong
Virginity
Pledgers
All
Virginity
Pledgers
Nonpledgers
Percent of males making it to stated
anniversary
120
1955-59
1960-64
1965-69
1970-74
1975-79
1980-84
1985-89
1990-1994
100
80
60
40
20
40th
35th
30th
25th
20th
15th
10th
5th
0
“Guarantees” to a Lasting Marriage
 Commit
to a religion, share it, practice
it
 No sex before marriage/embrace
secondary virginity
 No contracepting
 Tithe