What Are Pheromones? Do Humans Have Pheromones?

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Main Category: Endocrinology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs; Men's health; Women's Health / Gynecology
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A pheromone is a chemical an animal produces which changes the behavior of another animal of the same species (animals include insects). Some describe pheromones as behavior-altering agents. Many people do not know that pheromones trigger other behaviors in the animal of the same species, apart from sexual behavior.

Pheromones, unlike most other hormones are ectohormones - they act outside the body of the individual that is secreting them - they impact a behavior on another individual. Hormones usually only affect the individual that is secreting them.

Pheromones can be secreted to trigger many types of behaviors, including: AlarmTo follow a food trailSexual arousalTo tell other female insects to lay their eggs elsewhere. Called epideictic pheromonesTo respect a territoryTo bond (mother-baby)To back offIt is believed that the first pheromone was identified in 1953. Bombykol is secreted by female moths and is designed to attract males. The pheromone signal can travel enormous distances, even at low concentrations.

Experts say that the pheromone system of insects is much easier to understand than that of mammals, which do not have simple stereotyped insect behavior. It is believed that mammals detect pheromones through an organ in the nose called the VNO (Vomeronasal Organ), and connects to the hypothalamus in the brain. The VNO in humans consists of just pits that probably do not do anything. If humans do respond to hormones, most likely they use their normal olfactory system.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, A pheromone is:

"A type of ectohormone secreted by an individual and perceived by a second individual of the same or similar species, thereby producing a change in the sexual or social behavior of that individual."

Pheromones are commonly used in insect control. They can be used as bait to attract males into a trap, prevent them from mating, or to disorient them.

According to thousands of web sites which promise sexual conquests if you buy their pills, human pheromones exist - bear in mind that their aim is to get you to buy their products. However, most proper well-controlled scientific studies have failed to show any compelling evidence.

Gustav Jäger (1832-1917), a German doctor and hygienist is thought to be the first scientist to put forward the idea of human pheromones. He called them anthropines. He said they were lipophilic compounds associated with skin and follicles that mark the individual signature of human odors. Lipophilic compounds are those that tend to combine with, or are capable of dissolving in lipids.

Researchers in the University of Chicago claimed that they managed to link the synchronization of women's menstrual cycles to unconscious odor cues. The head researcher was called Martha McClintock, hence the coined term the McClintock effect. When exposing a group of women to a whiff of sweat from other women, their menstrual cycles either accelerated or slowed down, depending on when during the menstrual cycle the sweat was collected - before, during or after ovulation. The scientists said that the pheromone collected before ovulation shortened the ovarian cycle, while the pheromone collected during ovulation lengthened it. Even so, recent analyses of McClintock's study and methodology have questioned its validity.

A Swedish study found that lesbians react differently to AND (progesterone derivative 4,16-androstadien-3-one) than heterosexual women do. AND is ten times more abundant in human male sweat than female sweat. (Link to article)

There are four principal kinds of pheromones: Releaser pheromones - they elicit an immediate response, the response is rapid and reliable. They are usually linked to sexual attraction.Primer pheromones - these take longer to get a response. They can, for example, influence the development or reproduction physiology, including menstrual cycles in females, puberty, and the success or failure of pregnancy. They can alter hormone levels. In some mammals, scientists found that females who had become pregnant and were exposed to primer pheromones from another male, could spontaneously abort the fetus.Signaler pheromones - these provide information. They may help the mother to recognize her newborn by scent (fathers cannot usually do this). Signaler pheromones give out our genetic odor print.Modulator pheromones - they can either alter or synchronize bodily functions. Usually found in sweat. In animal experiments, scientists found that when placed on the upper lip of females, they became less tense and more relaxed. Modulator hormones may also affect a female's monthly cycle.Written by Christian Nordqvist
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