Human menstrual phase odors

In a later experiment, two pheromones from axillary odor of young women influenced the estrus cycle of other women (Stern and McClintock, 1998). Armpit secretion that appears odorless to humans was applied daily between the upper lip and nose of healthy young women and had two opposite effects depending on the menstrual phase of the odor donors. Secretion from nine donor women, collected on pads in their armpits during the follicular phase of their cycles... 

In the present study chemosensory event-related potentials (CSERP) were used to find objective evidence that body odor and the perception of body odor by females is related to the similarity of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (HLA in humans) of the subject and donor. Ten female subjects were examined three times during the course of their menstrual cycle (follicular, ovulatory and luteal phase). During a test session the responses of subjects to the odors of either three male or three female donors was measured. The HLA types of two donors were similar to each other but different to the HLA type of the test subject and the third donor, who shared a similar HLA type. Chemosensory event-related potentials were recorded from 7 electrode sites on the skull (Fz, Cz, Pz, F3, F4, P3, P4), referred to linked mastoids. Preliminary results show that during the ovulatory cycle phase, subjects responded with larger amplitudes to body odors of male donors with a similar HLA-type than to odors of male donors with a dissimilar HLA-type. When female odors were presented the speed of the neural response changed with the HLA-type of the odor donor during the luteal phase only. 

Numerous studies with humans have examined the perception of odors collected on T-shirts and pads from the upper part of the body and the axillae (Russell, 1976 Doty, et al., 1978 Schleidt, 1980 Schleidt, et al., 1981). These odors allow individuals to identify their own smell as well as that of their spouse and close kin (Porter Moore, 1981 Cer-noch Porter, 1985 Porter, et al., 1986 Hepper, 1988). Analytical studies of axillary secretions collected from women across the menstrual cycle suggest changes in the ratios of both the odor-producing bacteria (Reilly, et al., 1996) and odorants (Preti, et al., 1987 Reilly, et al., 1996). These studies suggest that chemical cues from the axillae contain sufficient differences in the concentration of odorants to allow for discrimination of individuals and phase in the menstrual cycle in female subjects. 

Volatile fatty acids found in the vaginal discharge of female primates were also detected in human vaginal samples 114, 291, 590). However, although the data of Doty et al. 591) indicated that secretions from preovulatory and ovulatory phases were sUghtly weaker and less unpleasant in odor than those from menstrual, early luteal... 

---

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

---