Changes in prenatal testosterone and sexual desire in expectant couples

During the transition to parenthood (TTP), both women and men report declines in sexual desire, which are thought to reflect an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating. New parents also show changes in testosterone, a steroid hormone implicated in both parenting and mating, suggesting...

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Published inHormones and behavior Vol. 125; p. 104823
Main Authors Sim, Lester, Chopik, William J., Wardecker, Britney M., Edelstein, Robin S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2020
Subjects
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Family Characteristics
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Libido - physiology
Male
Parents - psychology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy - metabolism
Pregnancy - psychology
Saliva - chemistry
Saliva - metabolism
Sexual Behavior
Sexual desire
Sexual Partners - psychology
Testosterone
Testosterone - analysis
Testosterone - metabolism
Transition to parenthood
Young Adult
Pregnancy
Testosterone
Transition to parenthood
Sexual desire
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Summary:During the transition to parenthood (TTP), both women and men report declines in sexual desire, which are thought to reflect an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating. New parents also show changes in testosterone, a steroid hormone implicated in both parenting and mating, suggesting that changes in sexual desire may be associated with changes in testosterone. To test these associations, we followed a sample of heterosexual couples expecting their first child across the prenatal period. We examined prenatal changes in testosterone and two forms of sexual desire (solitary, dyadic). Expectant mothers showed prenatal increases in testosterone, and women's higher testosterone was associated with lower dyadic desire. Expectant fathers showed prenatal decreases in testosterone, and declines in men's testosterone were associated with lower dyadic desire. Testosterone was unrelated to men's or women's solitary desire. Our findings provide support for the idea that prenatal changes in testosterone contribute to an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating during the TTP. •Expectant mothers' T is negatively associated with their dyadic sexual desire•Declines in expectant fathers' T is associated with decreases in their dyadic sexual desire•Prenatal changes in T may facilitate evolutionary tradeoffs between parenting and mating
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ISSN:0018-506X
1095-6867
DOI:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104823