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New Evidence Shows That Pheromones Influence Menstrual Cycles
The scientist who first published the observation that women living
together sometimes menstruate together has now told us why.
Martha McClintock (see also the photo I took
of her at the June 1997 conference of The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research),
a professor at the University of Chicago, wrote last
week in the British journal Nature,
which published her initial finding 27 years ago (Menstrual synchrony and
suppression. Nature 229: 244-245, 1971; I am asking permission to reprint
that paper on this Web site), that odorless chemical
signals given off by women - pheromones - can change other women's menstrual
cycles. (See an earlier discussion
of a similar experiment.)
The authors (McClintock and K. Stern) summarize
it in the journal:
They found that odourless compounds from the armpits
of women in the late follicular phase of their menstrual cycles accelerated
the preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone of recipient women and shortened
their menstrual cycles. Axillary (underarm) compounds from the same donors
which were collected later in the menstrual cycle (at ovulation) had the
opposite effect: they delayed the luteinizing-hormone surge of the recipients
and lengthened their menstrual cycles. By showing in a fully controlled
experiment that the timing of ovulation can be manipulated, this study
provides definitive evidence of human pheromones.
They regard this as definitive proof that human pheromones
exist.
It will be interesting to find out what organ perceives
these pheromones.
© 1998 Harry Finley.
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New this week: Modess teacher's manual - Famous people in menstrual
hygiene advertising