The Pill & Our Relationship

In the last 50 years there is this tiny thing that change the world: anti conception pill. It is so profound that it is simply known as the Pill. While it helps women in some ways, I think it also change our relationships for better or worst.

When a woman meets a man, not only we take cues from what we can see, hear, or feel, our hormones also play role. Through our olfactory nerve, we exchange our pheromones and major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Each of us has a different set of MHC that encode various part of our immune system. Those who have different kind of immune system are more likely to be biologically compatible. When we are biologically compatible, we are more likely to be attracted to one another, it is our survival instinct.

Alas, the Pill changed that.

Apparently, women who use the pill, their preference shift toward the scent that is similar to their own gene. It means, women instinct to select a partner with whom she has more chance of having healthy children or less miscarriage is altered by the pill.

Not only the pill affects our fertility, it also affects our relationships. Instinctively, women look for 'more masculine features' kind of partner during her ovulation, while they prefer 'more sensitive' kind of partner when they are not. Women on the pill are not ovulating, the pill tricks their body into thinking it is pregnant. This might be a factor of why we have around 50% divorce rate. If a woman on the pill chose her more feminine partner, by the time she is off the pill, she might follow her instinct and find her a more masculine partner, and her old relationship might break down.

Apparently couple with similar MHC are less satisfied, adventurous and responsive in sexual matter. The women who have similar MHC with their partner reportedly have more fantasies about other men during ovulation, and they also reported more infidelities. I guess the fact that women bore the physical side of having offspring made women reacted this way toward MHC. Men on the other hand, dont have any correlation between similarity in MHC with their partner and their orgasms, infidelities nor fantasies.

An interesting result on a study involving exotic dancers, those who are not using the pill received 50% more tips than their counterpart, especially when they are ovulating. It means men perceive non-pill-using women as more sexy.

Another side effect of the pill that might disturb any relationships are weight gain. Let's be honest, some guys dont even want to date someone who is slightly over weight. So, if a woman started to gain weight due to her pill, he might've ended the relationship.

For some women, pill can alter their moods, some even made them depressed. It is not easy dealing with a depressed person, unless the woman changes their pill (not all pills created equal) the pill might ruin it for her.

So, yes, the pill helps liberated women all over the world, but it has a darker side that can ruin their relationship: it might push away the potential suitable partner based on their olfactory preferences.