Web MD about pheromone

Healthy SexualityPheromones: Potential Participants in Your Sex Life You've never heard of pheromones? Well, it's time to learn about the part they play in your sex life, because it could be substantial. The concept of a human pheromone, or sexual scent of attraction, has been debated and researched for years.In most animals, the relationship between pheromones and mating is straightforward. 

Sea urchins, for example, release pheromones into the surrounding water, sending a chemical message that triggers other urchins in the colony to eject their sex cells simultaneously.Human pheromones, on the other hand, are highly individualized, and not always noticeable. In 1986 Dr. Winifred Cutler, a biologist and behavioral endocrinologist, codiscovered pheromones in our underarms. She and her team of researchers found that once any overbearing underarm sweat was removed, what remained were the odorless materials containing the pheromones.Dr. 

Cutler's original studies in the '70s showed that women who have regular sex with men have more regular menstrual cycles than women who have sporadic sex. Regular sex delayed the decline of estrogen and made women more fertile. This led the research team to look for what the man was providing in the equation. By 1986 they realized it was pheromones.Menstrual SynchronizationThere's more on how pheromones affect women's menstrual cycles. Think back to college, or to growing up if you had sisters. Most women who live with or near other women adjust their menstrual cycle timing to each other. A recent study at the University of Chicago by Martha McClintock exposed a group of women to a whiff of perspiration from other women. It caused their menstrual cycles to speed up or slow down depending on the time in the month the sweat was collected -- before, during or after ovulation. This was the first proof that people produce and respond to pheromones.

Although it's now clear that pheromones exist, the way our body processes them has yet to be determined. Animals have a vomeronasal organ (VNO), which perceives the substance and then leads them to mate. Some anatomists don't think humans have a VNO; others think they've found pits inside our nostrils that might be VNOs, but may not work.Implications for Fertility and DepressionDespite the gap in our knowledge, these remarkable studies about pheromones and menstrual cycles have brought to light the idea that pheromones could be used as fertility treatments for couples who want to conceive, or as contraceptives for those who don't. And couples who are having sexual problems could use pheromones combined with traditional therapy to enhance desire.

 It's also possible, some researchers say, that pheromones could be a mood enhancer, alleviating depression and stress. And the most far-reaching hypothesis so far is that pheromone treatment could control prostate activity in men to reduce the risk of cancer.Subtle but Strong InfluenceIf you're looking for the man or woman of your dreams, unsuspecting pheromones in your body scent are most likely playing a large and very clever role in mate attraction. According to an article in "Psychology Today," how our body odors are perceived as pleasant and sexy to another person is a highly selective process. We usually smell best to a person whose genetically based immunity to disease differs most from our own. This could benefit you in the long run, making for stronger, healthier children.

Seventy-four percent of the people who tested a commercial pheromone called Athena, developed by Dr. Cutler, experienced an increase in hugging, kissing and sexual intercourse. Maybe the best advice to those looking for a mate or wanting to take their relationship to a new level is to take a good long sniff!

聽過費洛蒙嗎？因其重要性，該是了解它所在你性生活中所扮演角色的時候了。人類費洛蒙，或是具吸引力的性感香味多年來一直備受爭議及探究。在很多的動物中，費洛蒙及配對間的關係是很直接的，例如海膽會在週圍水中釋放出費洛蒙，發出化學訊息去刺激群體中的其它海膽在同時釋放出生殖細胞。

在人類的費洛蒙則是非常具個人特色的但不是很明顯。在1986 Winifred Cutler博士－一位生物學家及分泌行為學家，發現我們腋下的費洛蒙－其研究團隊發現－但沒有汗水，則就只剩下無味的費洛蒙。Cutlerr博士在70年代的研究顯示，有正常跟男性性行為的女性比只有偶一為之性行為的女性之月經週期正常，正常的性行為會延緩雌激素的減少及使得女性較易受精，這個發現使得研究團隊尋找男性在其中所扮演的角色，在1986年的時候他們了解到原來是費洛蒙的關係。經期一致性費洛蒙對女性月經週期的影響更甚，回想在大學時代或是有姐妹的成長時代，大部份生活或接近其它女性的女性會互相調整其月經週期。

在一項最近芝加哥大學的Martha McClintock的研究顯示一群聞到其它女性汗水的女性，會造成月經一致性現在巳經很清楚費洛蒙的存在，但是人類如何製造還是個謎，動物有（VNO）器官可以偵測到這種物質找到配對，有些解剖學家不認為人類有VNO，有些則發現我們鼻孔裡面的凹處可能是VNO，但可能沒有用處。關於受孕及振奮精神僅管在我們了解上的斷層，這些對費洛蒙及月經週期的引人注意的研究揭露了費洛蒙可用於想受孕夫妻治療或夫妻避孕的想法，有性生活問題的夫妻也可以用費洛蒙加上傳統的療法以提高慾望。

有些調查也顯示，費洛蒙也可能增加氣氛，令人振作及舒緩壓力，目前為止，最廣泛的說法是，費洛蒙療法可以控制男性的前列腺活動，及減低癌症的風險。神秘卻有強大的影響力如果你在找夢中情人，你體內的費洛蒙香味極可能在吸引異性上扮演了很重要及靈敏性的角色，在”今日心理學”上的一篇文章中提到，我們身體的氣味是如何在擇偶過程中如何偵測到其它人身上的吸引力，我們聞到的通常是免疫力及疾病基礎上基因跟我們很不同的人的氣味，使得我們最終可以生出更強壯健康的小孩。

約有74%的人會嚐試商業廣告中由Cutler博士所研發的Athena費洛蒙－可用於增加擁抱、親吻及性行為，對那些在找尋伴侶或希望把他們的關係提昇到一個新境界的人的最好建議，是找一種可以持續很久的氣味。