Women on pill choose less attractive but faithful mates

London: Women on the contraceptive pill tend to pick men who are faithful, but who fail to satisfy in bed, new research has found.

But relationships that start when women are using this contraceptive method tend to last longer, researchers say. One explanation as to why women on the pill are attracted to different men than when they are not is that because the pill simulates pregnancy, women tend to head for traits associated with fidelity. During fertile cycle phases, women seek out traits such as masculine faces, which are associated with good genes but also infidelity. Craig Roberts from the University of Stirling, UK, and colleagues surveyed 1000 women who had been taking the pill when they met their partner and 1500 who were not. All of the women had at least one child with this partner, reports New Scientist. The team measured the women’s levels of sexual and general relationship satisfaction, as well as how long the relationship lasted. Researchers found that women on the pill when they met their partner were significantly less sexually satisfied, but reported higher levels of general satisfaction in the relationship, such as financial support and partner loyalty. They were also more likely to stay together. ANI