An Evolutionary Approach Offers a Fresh Perspective on the Relationship Between Oral Contraception and Sexual Desire

Roberts, S. Craig; Cobey, Kelly D.; Klapilová, Kateřina; Havlı́ček, Jan

doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0126-9

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Positive significant effects were found on menstrual cycle related symptoms as measured by the MDQ, except for the domain Arousal, showing negative effects. According to the literature, the effect of COC use on these parameters is inconsistent [3,21,[23][24][25][26]39]. In some studies the EE/DRSP COC used has been shown to improve the MDQ domains Water retention and Negative affect [40][41][42], but this was not observed in our study.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

“…The effect of COC use on mood and sexual function has been questioned [3,21,[23][24][25][26]39], although in a recent paper by a group of COC experts the concept of "Oral Contraceptive-Associated Sexual Dysfunction" has been presented [4]. The COC only data from our study support the view that COC use may have a negative effect on sexual function.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptsupporting

confidence: 46%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Restoring testosterone levels by adding dehydroepiandrosterone to a drospirenone containing combined oral contraceptive: II. Clinical effects

Zimmerman¹,

Foidart²,

Pintiaux³

et al. 2015

Contraception

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Source of fundingThe study was financially supported by Pantarhei Bioscience Conflict of interestYZ is an employee of Pantarhei Bioscience (PRB), the company developing the Androgen RestoredContraceptive concept for contraception. JMF has no conflict of interest in the course of this study.AP shares expertise as a lecturer, member of advisory boards, and/or consultant, with Bayer, Amgen, Gedeon Richter and Teva/Theramex, without personal gain. JMM has nothing to declare. KC has nothing to declare. BF has received fees and grant support from the following companies (in alphabetic order); Andromed, Ardana, Euroscreen, Ferring, Genovum, Merck (MSD), Merck Serono, Organon, Ovascience, Pantharei Bioscience, PregLem, Schering, Schering Plough, Serono, Uteron Pharma, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth. HCB is the CEO and a shareholder of PRB.After publication of the paper, PRB will make the clinical study report available upon request. The authors alone are responsible for the content and the writing of the paper. Clinical Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN06414473A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT AbstractObjectives: Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) decrease androgen levels, including testosterone (T), which may be associated with sexual dysfunction and mood complaints in some women. We have shown that co-administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to a drospirenone (DRSP) containing COC restored total T levels to baseline and free T levels by 47%. Here we describe the effects on sexual function, mood and quality of life of such an intervention. Study design:This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 99 healthy COC starters. A COC containing 30 µg ethinylestradiol (EE) and 3 mg DRSP was used for 3 cycles, followed by 6 cycles of the same COC combined with 50 mg/day DHEA or placebo. There were no statistically significant differences between groups for the MSFQ and Q-LES-Q scores. DHEA co-administration resulted in an acceptable safety profile. DHEA negated the beneficial effect of the COC on acne according to the subjects' self-assessment. A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTConclusions: Co-administration with DHEA did not result in consistent improvements in sexual function, mood and quality of life indicators in women taking EE/DRSP.Retrospectively, the 50 mg dose of DHEA may be too low for this COC.Implications A well-balanced judgment of the clinical consequences of normalizing androgens during COC use may require complete normalization of free T.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptsupporting

confidence: 46%

Restoring testosterone levels by adding dehydroepiandrosterone to a drospirenone containing combined oral contraceptive: II. Clinical effects

Zimmerman¹,

Foidart²,

Pintiaux³

et al. 2015

Contraception

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“…Women may bypass the potential costs of selecting a more masculine partner at thepointofthe menstrualcyclewhen fertility is highest and any potential benefits may be realized (Gangestad &Thornhill,2008).Insomecases,pre-menopausalwomenstated higher preferences for masculine androgen-dependent traits when the likelihood of conception is higher (Gangestad & Thornhill, 2008;Gildersleeve, Haselton, & Fales, 2014a, but see Wood, Kressel, Joshi, & Louise, 2014) and these effects largely disappear among women using hormonal contraceptives (Roberts, Cobey, Klapilová, & Havlíček, 2013). Interestingly, despite their strong associations with rated masculinity, previous studies have not found that women's preferences are higher at the more fertile phase of the cycle when rating beards (B. J.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Facial and Body Hair Distribution in Women’s Judgments of Men’s Sexual Attractiveness

Dixson

Rantala

2015

Arch Sex Behav

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Facial and body hair are some of the most visually conspicuous and sexually dimorphic of all men's secondary sexual traits. Both are androgen dependent, requiring the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone via the enzyme 5α reductase 2 for their expression. While previous studies on the attractiveness of facial and body hair are equivocal, none have accounted as to how natural variation in their distribution may influence male sexual attractiveness. In the present study, we quantified men's facial and body hair distribution as either very light, light, medium, or heavy using natural photographs. We also tested whether women's fertility influenced their preferences for beards and body hair by comparing preferences among heterosexual women grouped according their fertility (high fertility, low fertility, and contraceptive use). Results showed that men with more evenly and continuously distributed facial hair from the lower jaw connecting to the mustache and covering the cheeks were judged as more sexually attractive than individuals with more patchy facial hair. Men with body hair were less attractive than when clean shaven, with the exception of images depicting some hair around the areolae, pectoral region, and the sternum that were significantly more attractive than clean-shaven bodies. However, there was no effect of fertility on women's preferences for men's beard or body hair distribution. These results suggest that the distribution of facial and body hair influences male attractiveness to women, possibly as an indication of masculine development and the synthesis of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone via 5α reductase.

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“…[120][121][122] Contraceptive pills (and other hormone-supplementation methods) developed to avoid pregnancy work in various biochemical ways to prevent either ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of an embryo; however, both the mechanism through which they act and the subsequent effects on female mood and sexuality is surprisingly poorly understood. [123][124][125][126] These reviews also point out that there are intrinsic difficulties in the design of empirical studies on hormone effects on mate choice in humans, such as the fact that cross-sectional studies do not account for the under-representation of women who discontinue pill use after experiencing ill effects, rendering it difficult to confirm the pill's direct effects on female behavior. Some authors go so far as to argue that after confounding factors and appropriate response variables have been controlled, there remains no convincing evidence that the menstrual phase has any effect on the detection of mate genetic quality at all.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the evidence for major histocompatibility complex-dependent mate selection in humans and nonhuman primates

Winternitz¹,

Abbate²

2015

RRB

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Compounds of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are integral for effective vertebrate adaptive immune response, and are also implicated as cues for sexual selection. The evidence for this is supportive of MHC-based preference for diverse and dissimilar mating partners, in a range of vertebrates from fish to nonhuman primates. However, the evidence for a similar role of these genes and the evolutionary benefits of their diversity in human mate choice has been more controversial. Here, we review the results of 34 primary studies on MHC-mediated mate choice in humans and nonhuman primates in an effort to understand what processes may underscore, or belie, such differences. Both human and nonhuman primate studies show evidence of mate selection for MHC-dissimilarity and diversity, with fewer results in support of mate selection for optimal diversity or for specific "good gene". In general, stronger support comes from female-choice studies as opposed to male-choice studies (though male preferences and choice are investigated less often). This review suggests that the majority of mate choice results from contemporary human studies are consistent with our evolutionary history, but also reveals that only in humans do we find evidence for preference for mates with similar MHC composition. Overall, we show that contextual nuances, namely, population structure, multiple sensory cues that signal different information, and hormonal influences may explain the conflicting results observed for the role of MHC in human sexual preference, and argue for the exploration of such caveats in less well-studied systems to discern between general patterns and qualities unique to humans.

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An Evolutionary Approach Offers a Fresh Perspective on the Relationship Between Oral Contraception and Sexual Desire

Cited by 33 publications

References 57 publications

Restoring testosterone levels by adding dehydroepiandrosterone to a drospirenone containing combined oral contraceptive: II. Clinical effects

Restoring testosterone levels by adding dehydroepiandrosterone to a drospirenone containing combined oral contraceptive: II. Clinical effects

The Role of Facial and Body Hair Distribution in Women’s Judgments of Men’s Sexual Attractiveness

Examining the evidence for major histocompatibility complex-dependent mate selection in humans and nonhuman primates

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