Friday, October 13, 2006

Hhhmm... what to wear?

I don't know if it's true. But it's a pretty interesting read.

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women dress to impress when they are at their most fertile, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study they say shows that signs of human ovulation may not be as mysterious as some scientists believe.

A study of young college women showed they frequently wore more fashionable or flashier clothing and jewelry when they were ovulating, as assessed by a panel of men and women looking at their photographs.

"They tend to put on skirts instead of pants, show more skin and generally dress more fashionably," said Martie Haselton, a communication studies and psychology expert at the University of California Los Angeles who led the study.


While some animals release powerful scents when ready to mate and display skin color changes, human ovulation is notoriously difficult to detect. This is attested to by the frequency of unintended pregnancy, as well as test kits marketed to women wishing to become pregnant but unaware of the likeliest time to conceive.

Haselton's team said their study showed the cues are there, even if men and women are not consciously aware of them.

Women usually ovulate on the 15th day of their menstrual cycles, and this day is when they are the most fertile. Ovulation is easily detected using urine tests, and Haselton's team used such a test to check fertility in their study.

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